State Assembly to Vote on Summer Unemployment Bill this week. Take Action today

On May 27, 2016 our summer unemployment benefits bill passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee and this week the full State Assembly will be voting on AB2197 which would extend a basic unemployment safety net to dedicated school workers.

Click here to send an email message to Assembly Members urging them to vote yes!

Thanks to all the hard work of SEIU Local 99 members over the past several years, this year our Summer Unemployment Insurance Bill has gone further than it ever has before. In April, the bill was approved by the Assembly Insurance Committee. Last week, the Assembly Appropriations Committee voted yes. This was a major step forward because three previous bills have died in this Committee. And now, the entire California Assembly is scheduled to vote on the bill by this Friday.

Our visits, phone calls and emails are making a difference. Don’t stop now. We have a chance to move this bill out of the Assembly this week. If it passes the Assembly, the bill will go to the Senate for a vote. And once it passes the Senate, it will get to the Governor’s desk. We still have a long way to go, including a tough budget fight to make sure there is funding for benefits, but one thing is clear – we’re not giving up until we win!

Click here to send your email to Assembly Members who will be voting on the bill this week. Let’s move this one more step forward!

Amendments in the version of the bill passed by the Appropriations Committee mean that funding for unemployment benefits will have to be set aside in the state budget. That means we’ll also need to raise our voices for a fair budget.We’ll be expanding our fight to not only talk about unemployment, but also about better employment for school workers. We know unemployment insurance will provide a much needed safety net, but real relief will come with more summer jobs, pay increases and more work hours. And we need a state budget that will ensure funding for all these things. Let’s continued to stand union strong!

Read this story on Southern California Public Radio (KPCC) about our summer unemployment insurance bill.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO?

• Vote on Tuesday, June 7.  In addition to the presidential race, many state legislators are also running for office. These are the elected officials who will be voting on our summer unemployment insurance bill! For the list of SEIU member-endorsed candidates Click Here.
  
• An initiative to tax the rich to increase funding for schools and good school jobs will most likely be on the ballot in November. Make sure you’re registered to vote. And Vote! Register Here.

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Here’s how legislators on the Assembly Appropriations Committee voted on the bill on May 27, 2016: