The WGA has been on strike since May 2, and SAG-AFTRA since July 14.
Four months without work is emotionally brutal and financially disastrous.
SB 799 gives workers a chance to fight for whats fair.
From left: WGA Wests President Meredith Stiehm, SB 799 author Sen. Anthony Portantino and SAG-AFTRA Secretary-Treasurer Joely Fisher in SacramentoWGA West
We are in the fight of our lives for our jobs, our industry, our future.
Last year, Gov.
Gavin Newsom signed AB 2530, which provided subsidized health coverage to striking workers whose employers terminated health benefits.
Here are Fishers full remarks to the committee:
Dear Committee Members:
My name is Joely Fisher.
I am a working actor and serve as the Secretary-Treasury for SAG-AFTRA.
For most actors right now, contracts are a one-way street.
Right now we have thousands of members who are forgoing a paycheck and potentially their health insurance.
I fear that I will not earn enough to qualify them for health coverage.
Denying UI to striking workers is another way employers hold an unfair advantage over workers fighting for whats right.
SB 799 gives workers a chance to fight for whats fair.
We are in the fight of our livesfor our jobs, our industry, our future.
I urge your support for SB 799.
