WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., with Reps. Alma Adams, D-N.C., and Greg Casar, D-Texas, introduced the Food Secure Strikers Act of 2023, legislation to allow striking workers to qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
The introduction of this bill comes as several high-profile strikes are currently taking place in Pennsylvania and across the country. Right now, workers with United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers Local 506 & 618 at Wabtec in Erie; workers with Communications Workers of America at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; and workers with the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild nationwide are all on strike.
“Every union worker who is walking the picket line this summer needs to know that we have their back here in Washington,” said Fetterman. “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. As Chair of the Nutrition Subcommittee and an advocate for the union way of life, this bill is just plain common sense. I’m proud to introduce this bill that will eliminate the need for workers to choose between fighting for fair working conditions and putting food on the table for their families.”
Currently, striking workers and their households are excluded from SNAP eligibility and cannot receive SNAP benefits unless they were previously eligible before the strike. While union funds can sometimes reduce the financial stress of striking, workers often still face serious financial insecurity when on strike due to loss of income. Further, many striking workers are not union members, meaning they have an even smaller safety net, if any at all. The Food Secure Strikers Act of 2023 would repeal the restriction on striking workers from receiving SNAP.
In the Senate, the bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Bob Menendez, D-N.J., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
The Food Secure Strikers Act is also endorsed by numerous unions and anti-hunger organizations, including the United Food and Commercial Workers, Teamsters, National Education Association, Communications Workers of America, Food Research Action Center, and Hunger-Free America.
