Summer Unemployment Insurance Bill (AB 2197) is now on Governor Brown’s desk. Sept. 30 is his deadline. Take action now!

This is exciting stuff! AB 2197—the Summer Unemployment Insurance Bill our union has been fighting tirelessly for on behalf of over 284,000 classified school workers in California is now on Governor Jerry Brown’s desk.  AB 2197 will make all school employees in California eligible to receive unemployment insurance when school is out if they meet certain requirements. This is the safety net we all need and deserve.

It’s up to Governor Brown to either sign or veto the bill. We’ve just been informed that he has until Sept. 30 to take action. So we must take action today.

Tell Governor Brown why he should end the cruel summer for school workers by signing AB2197:

  1. Send an email.
  2. Call him at 916-445-2841
  3. Post a message on your Facebook Account and tag @JerryBrown. Be sure to use the hashtags #EndTheCruelSummer and @AB2197

If the Governor signs the bill we’ll move on to the final step – making sure he includes funding for benefits in the state budget. It’s still a fight but we’re closer than we’ve ever been before. We’ve already gotten both the State Assembly and the State Senate to agree that school workers should not have to suffer in the summer. Now it’s up to the Governor.

If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines letting other members do the work of moving this bill, it’s time to rise up in unity with your fellow school workers and say in a collective voice to Governor Brown: “We want economic justice and we want it now!”

Max Arias, Executive Director of SEIU Local 99 said: “California’s school bus drivers, cafeteria staff, and special education assistants who are a vital part of our children’s education live in poverty in the summer months when school is out.  With few employers willing to hire them just for the summer, many go hungry,  resort to collecting cans, or rely on social services  because state laws unfairly exclude them from the unemployment system.  Today, the State Senate responded to our stories and the moral imperative to help these dedicated workers avoid hunger and eviction by passing AB 2197. Gov. Brown can end a cruel summer for hard working education staff and save money for taxpayers by signing this vital bill.

Sign-up to receive text message notifications to stay updated on the Governor’s action. Simply text SEIU99 to 787753. Also, follow us on Facebook.

Together, we can win this!

Here’s the vote breakdown of the State Senate vote on AB2197 on August 22, 2016. This vote moved our bill directly to the Governor’s desk. And it showed that the State Senate and State Assembly agree that the cruel summer must end for dedicated school workers. Now it’s up to Governor Brown to agree.

Yes No Not Present
Benjamin Allen (D)
Jim Beall (D)
Marty Block (D)
Cathleen Galgiani (D)
Steven M. Glazer (D)
Isadore Hall, III (D)
Loni Hancock (D)
Ed Hernandez (D)
Robert M. Hertzberg (D)
Jerry Hill (D)
Ben Hueso (D)
Hannah-Beth Jackson (D)
Ricardo Lara (D)
Mark Leno (D)
Connie M. Leyva (D)
Carol Liu (D)
Mike McGuire (D)
Tony Mendoza (D)
Holly J. Mitchell (D)
Bill Monning (D)
Richard Pan (D)
Fran Pavley (D)
Bob Wieckowski (D)
Lois Wolk (D)
Joel Anderson (R)
Patricia C. Bates (R)
Tom Berryhill (R)
Anthony Cannella (R)
Ted Gaines (R)
Bob Huff (R)
John M. W. Moorlach (R)
Mike Morrell (R)
Janet Nguyen (R)
Jim Nielsen (R)
Jeff Stone (R)
Andy Vidak (R)
Kevin de León (D)
Jean Fuller (R)
Richard D. Roth (D)

Where’s the bill right now?
AB2197timeline

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