California Bill That Would Provide Jobless Benefits to Striking Workers Has New Life

A California bill to pay striking workers unemployment benefits has again passed the state’s Senate, despite being vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year. Senate Bill 1116, authored by Sen. Anthony Portantino, a Democrat, passed the Senate May 21 along party lines. The bill now heads to the Assembly. Existing law currently prohibits striking workers from receiving unemployment benefits, which Mr. Portantino claims is a major obstacle for many striking workers. “Workers do not go on strike because they want to—they generally do it as a last resort,” Mr. Portantino said in a statement April 24 after the bill passed the Senate Labor, Public Employment, and Retirement Committee....