California governor rejects bill to give unemployment checks to striking workers

By ADAM BEAM
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California won’t be giving unemployment checks to workers on strike. While state lawmakers passed a bill to make California the third state to do this, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed it Saturday. Newsom says he rejected the bill because the fund the state uses to pay unemployment benefits is in debt. The money comes from a tax on businesses that hasn’t changed since 1984. Labor unions argue that making striking workers eligible for benefits would not have much of an impact on the fund. Lawmakers could attempt to pass the law anyway, but it’s been decades since a governor’s veto was overruled in California.