Striking Workers Jobless Aid Cleared By California Lawmakers

With actors and screenwriters still on the picket lines, the California state Senate cleared legislation Thursday that would extend unemployment benefits to striking workers starting next year.

State law currently excludes workers from unemployment insurance if they are out of work due to a strike. But amid a summer of labor unrest across California, unions and Democratic lawmakers made a last-minute push to extend benefits to those workers.

The Senate vote of 27-12 came after the state Assembly approved the bill Monday by a vote of 59-18. The measure (S.B. 799) heads next to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who ...