The Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes have exposed to the general population different topics for people within the film industry, most notably eligibility for state unemployment insurance due to the strike. Workers who live in New York receive up to around $500 a week for a little over six months. For New Jersey residents, the rate is even higher, at up to $830 a week. But, members outside these states are not receiving the same benefits.

California residents are not gaining this type of unemployment insurance, as “they’re considered to have left their jobs ‘voluntarily’ – even those who voted against strike authorization,” as stated by Deadline. The Chief Officer of the California Labor Federation, Lorena Gonzalez, says it’s “shameful.”

She told Deadline, “It’s time to re-look at that policy and see what we can do because we don’t want striking workers to not be able to make ends meet.” She notes this has been a recent discussion and that legislators must “look at [it] as a way that they can support striking workers, because employers have already paid into this.” 

The source noted the response from California’s Employment Development Department, explaining, “When claimants take strike action by voluntarily leaving due to a trade dispute, the claimants are subject to disqualification.”