Sacramento, CA – The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Western States Council today applauded the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee for supporting AB 1066 (Gonzalez), which ensures workers who are on strike or locked out by their employers are eligible to collect unemployment insurance benefits.
“The grocery stores know that if they hold out long enough, we will have to agree with their demands in order to feed our families and keep a roof over our heads, said Diane Hacker, who works at Vons and is a member of UFCW Local 1428. “When workers are already living paycheck to paycheck, a month-long strike could devastate a family. Unemployment benefits don’t replace a paycheck, but they will help keep workers’ heads afloat when one missed paycheck could drown us.”
“Striking is always the last resort for workers standing up for fair treatment and safe workplace conditions, and we applaud the Senate Labor Committee for their support of these workers who too often find themselves starved back to work because they have to put food on the table or pay their rent,” said Andrea Zinder, UFCW Western States Council President and UFCW Local 324 Secretary-Treasurer. “When striking or locked-out workers are eligible for unemployment insurance, they can stand up for the workplace justice they deserve, knowing their families won’t become homeless. We applaud the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee for supporting this important and timely bill, especially as UFCW members across Southern California are fighting for the basic dignity of fair wages and health coverage.”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2019
CONTACT: Jenna Thompson, 916.444.7280, [email protected]