Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is championing a bill that would allow striking workers to qualify for food stamp benefits, a move that coincides with high-profile labor disputes among Hollywood actors and writers.
Mr. Fetterman, a Democrat, said current law excludes striking workers from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program unless they were eligible before the strike. He said union funds can backstop workers for a while, but it is often not enough.
“Every union worker who is walking the picket line this summer needs to know that we have their back here in Washington,” Mr. Fetterman said. “The union way of life is sacred. It’s what built Pennsylvania and this nation. It is critical for us to protect workers’ right to organize, and that includes making sure they and their families have the resources to support themselves while on strike.”
It is unclear how much traction Mr. Fetterman’s bill will get.
The Senate requires 60 votes to advance legislation, Democrats hold a slim majority and Republicans have generally looked for ways to curtail SNAP spending instead.
The SNAP program, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, provides varying amounts of food income to low-wage families, older adults and people with disabilities.
The average monthly benefit is $129 per household member, though households that are significantly below the poverty line may receive more. Roughly 40 million Americans rely on the program.
Mr. Fetterman said his bill — the Food Secure Strikers Act of 2023 — is co-sponsored by about a dozen Senate Democrats and key unions, including the United Food and Commercial Workers, Teamsters, National Education Association, Communications Workers of America, Food Research Action Center and Hunger-Free America.
UPS workers recently averted a major strike that would have crushed operations across the country, and auto workers and hotel employees are in key negotiations.
Thousands of actors and writers in the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA are striking, saying they need higher pay and certain protections on the job, including safeguards against artificial intelligence.
President Biden frequently touts his bona fides as a pro-labor president, and members of his party are throwing their weight behind strikers from coast to coast.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat and member of Congress’ far-left “Squad,” recently joined striking writers and actors outside the Manhattan offices for Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Flanked by AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez walked the picket line and touted a “hot labor summer” in an address to picketers.
“This is a fight against greed. This is a fight against Wall Street, and this is a fight against the endless pursuit of more wealth. How many private jets does David Zaslav need?” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said, taking a swipe at the head of Warner Bros.
“We have workers all across the country either currently on strike or gearing up to be on strike,” she said, “because at the end of the day, we are all confronting the same challenge — an unacceptable, unprecedented concentration of wealth and corporate greed in America.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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