Speak out for Summer Unemployment Benefits: Join us for local visits with Senators

Our Summer Unemployment Insurance bill is moving further than it ever has before. While we still have a long way to go, our voices are being heard and we must keep pushing forward for as long as it takes to win.

Take Action this Summer to help get this bill through the State Senate

Join us as we meet with State Senators in their local Los Angeles-area offices to let them know dedicated school workers need a summer unemployment insurance safety net. Click here to sign-up.

Here’s a summary of what’s happened so far this year:

February 18: Assembly Member Cristina Garcia introduced the Summer Unemployment Insurance Bill (Assembly Bill 2197) in the state legislature.

April 20:  Our bill is approved by the Assembly Insurance Committee.  SEIU Local 99 Member and LAUSD Special Education Assistant Kathleen Hamm spoke before the Insurance Committee before their vote telling them: “I love seeing kids aspire to their fullest potential. But the summers are hard. People ask me how I make it. Well, do you know what dumpster diving is? When people are sleeping I’m out collecting glass bottles, cans, whatever is recyclable. Yet, even with these struggles, I have never thought about leaving my job. I love the kids and the students. And there are many, many dedicated school workers like me.”

May 18-19: Dozens of SEIU Local 99 members took the Midnight Ride to Sacramento to speak directly with legislators about the need for summer relief for school workers.

May 27: The Assembly Appropriations Committee voted in favor of our bill. It is the first time the bill moves out of this committee. Previous bills had died in the Appropriations Committee. Amendments made to the bill at this point require that funding for unemployment benefits be paid out of the state budget.

June 2: the California State Assembly voted to pass our bill. This marked the first time the Assembly approved the bill. It’s the furthest our bill has gone in the past several years of our fight for access to unemployment insurance benefits.

June 22: Our bill passed the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee. It’s the first committee in the Senate. The bill next moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee where it must be voted on before the end of the summer. If it passes the Senate Appropriations Committee, it will be voted on by the full Senate. If it is approved by the Senate, the bill goes to the Governor for his signature or veto.

Here is how the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee voted:

Let’s keep pushing forward!

It’s important to note that amendments to the bill mean we’ll need to expand out fight to ensure there is funding for unemployment insurance benefits in the state budget. While we still have a long way to go, the movement of this bill so far means that our voices are being heard. Legislators are agreeing that dedicated school workers should have an unemployment insurance safety net to help us get through the summer months. We won’t stop until we win!

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Read the following press statement from SEIU Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias released after the Assembly passed the bill:

WITH ASSEMBLY PASSAGE OF AB 2197 (GARCIA), CALIFORNIA MOVES A STEP CLOSER TO ENDING SUMMERTIME POVERTY FOR SCHOOL STAFF

Sacramento, CA – The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California released the following statement today after the Assembly passed AB 2197 (Garcia) on a 46-23 vote.  The bill would eliminate an unfair exclusion of classified employees from unemployment benefits during the summer months when they don’t receive a paycheck:

Max Arias, Executive Director of SEIU Local 99, said:

“SEIU applauds Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia and the Assemblymembers who voted to deliver dignity to hard-working school staff who ensure a good school experience for our kids, even as they have a hard time feeding their own families.

The passage of this bill by the Assembly brings us one step closer to ensuring that workers who have made education their life’s work can have a basic unemployment safety net. It sends a strong message that our state must continue to invest in lifting working families out of poverty.

“An unfair exclusion of classified school employees from unemployment benefits has left many low-wage school workers in poverty.  Each year, school staff who are predominately women and people of color experience a ‘cruel summer’ – no paycheck and few opportunities to find short-term replacement work.

“Importantly, when passed by the Senate and signed by the Governor, this bill will help retain the dedicated bus drivers, cafeteria workers and other essential school staff California students and families count on.”

Click here to read a story about our fight on KPCC Southern California Public Radio

Here’s how the Assembly Members voted:

Please note that the vote score may change as it has been held open for those who were not present.