Political Action Updates - May 2023

New Jersey - Unemployment Insurance for Striking Workers Signed Into Law

Huge victory for workers in New Jersey! On April 24th, Governor Murphy signed A-4772 into law, allowing workers on strike to collect Unemployment Insurance after two weeks (lowered from the previous waiting period of four weeks). The bill, which was supported by CWA, also closes several loopholes used by employers to deny UI benefits to workers under certain situations. 

New York - Big Win for SUNY Graduate Workers in NYS Budget

CWA members in New York have been working hard for years to put an end to the crushing fees that State University of New York (SUNY) graduate workers (members of CWA Local 1104) are forced to pay to the universities in order to do their jobs. These fees can amount to as much as 15% of the grad workers’ already meager earnings, forcing many workers to take extreme measures like dumpster diving for food or selling blood plasma in order to make ends meet. 

This year, CWA members went all out to secure a pro-worker budget, and although we didn’t win everything we were fighting for, we did secure a major victory in our fight to eliminate grad worker fees! The Fiscal Year 2024 budget stipulates a four-year phase-out of fees, with $3 million allocated this year to start the process (a 25% reduction).

This victory was the culmination of months of lobbying efforts by Local 1104 members of the Graduate Worker Employees Union (GSEU), as well as rallies and actions by workers on SUNY campuses across the state.

In addition, the FY24 budget includes an increase in the state’s minimum wage to $17 per hour and indexing it to inflation beginning in 2027, as well as $500 million funding for safety net and financially distressed hospitals.