Report: Millions of full-time US workers get government aid
4 years, 1 month ago

Report: Millions of full-time US workers get government aid

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Millions of Americans who are working full-time jobs still rely on federal health care and food assistance programs because of low wages, a bipartisan congressional watchdog says. “At a time when huge corporations like Walmart and McDonald’s are making billions in profits and giving their CEOs tens of millions of dollars a year, they’re relying on corporate welfare from the federal government by paying their workers starvation wages.,” Sanders said in a statement. Asked for comment on the GAO report, Anne Hatfield, a Walmart spokesperson, said, “If not for the employment access Walmart and other companies provide, many more people would be dependent on government assistance.” She said that a small percentage of Walmart’s workforce is on public assistance when hired by Walmart. McDonald’s USA said in a statement, “The average starting wage at U.S. corporate-owned restaurants is over $10 per hour and exceeds the federal minimum wage.

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History of this topic

California voters reject measure that would have raised minimum wage to nation-high USD 18 per hour
1 month ago

California voters reject measure that would have raised minimum wage to nation-high USD 18 per hour

Live Mint  

Sacramento, Nov 20 Voters in California have rejected a ballot measure that would have raised the state minimum wage to USD 18 per hour by 2026, the highest in the country. The current minimum wage rates are USD 16 per hour for most workers and USD 20 in the fast-food sector. The health care sector will eventually see its minimum …

California voters reject measure that would have raised minimum wage to nation-high $18 per hour
1 month ago

California voters reject measure that would have raised minimum wage to nation-high $18 per hour

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Voters in California have rejected a ballot measure that would have raised the state minimum wage to $18 per hour by 2026, the highest in the country. The current minimum wage rates are $16 per hour for most workers and $20 in the fast-food sector. The health care sector will eventually see its minimum wage reach $25 …

Prop. 32, measure to increase minimum wage to $18 an hour, trails in early polls
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Prop. 32, measure to increase minimum wage to $18 an hour, trails in early polls

LA Times  

Proposition 32, which would have raised the minimum wage to $17 immediately for larger employers and to $18 starting in January 2025. A measure to increase California’s minimum wage to $18 was trailing according to early polling results as of Tuesday night but remained too close to call. Early results showed a slight majority of voters statewide opposed Proposition 32, …

Column: The latest info on California’s $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers — higher pay, no job losses and minimal price hikes
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Column: The latest info on California’s $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers — higher pay, no job losses and minimal price hikes

LA Times  

McDonald’s prices haven’t significantly risen since California raised its fast-food minimum wage to $20 an hour on April 1. Gavin Newsom on the state’s $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers Two new analyses of the actual wage and price impacts of the $20-per-hour minimum have appeared this month. Fast-food employment in California rose after April’s minimum wage increase, often faster …

Editorial: The federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is poverty pay. It’s time to raise it
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Editorial: The federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is poverty pay. It’s time to raise it

LA Times  

It’s been 15 years since workers earning the federal minimum wage got a raise. That is poverty pay, and an increase to the federal minimum wage is long overdue. In 2016, he said he wanted to raise the federal rate to at least $10, but later said minimum wage hikes should be left to the states, which is effectively what’s …

Higher prices, lower turnover, more workers: The reality of California's $20 fast-food minimum wage
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Higher prices, lower turnover, more workers: The reality of California's $20 fast-food minimum wage

Salon  

When California governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1228 — legislation which raised the state hourly minimum wage for fast-food employees from $15.50 to $20 — into law last September, members of the fast-food industry were left with a lot of questions before the bill officially went into effect on April 1. “I pay them as much as I can, but …

Kamala Harris could make history as the first president to work at McDonald’s
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Kamala Harris could make history as the first president to work at McDonald’s

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Harris mentioned her brief stint on the fryer …

It has now been 15 years since the federal minimum wage rose to $7.25
5 months ago

It has now been 15 years since the federal minimum wage rose to $7.25

NPR  

It has now been 15 years since the federal minimum wage rose to $7.25 toggle caption Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images The most recent hike to the federal minimum wage occurred on July 24, 2009, back when former President Barack Obama was still in his first year in office and the Black Eyed Peas topped the Billboard charts. According to the Bureau …

California fast food workers now earn $20 per hour. Franchisees are responding by cutting hours
5 months, 1 week ago

California fast food workers now earn $20 per hour. Franchisees are responding by cutting hours

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — Lawrence Cheng, whose family owns seven Wendy’s locations south of Los Angeles, took orders at the register on a recent day and emptied steaming hot baskets of French fries and chicken nuggets, salting them with a flourish. Joseph Bryant, executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union, which pushed for the raise, said the industry has …

In-N-Out G prices hike as California enforces new minimum wage for fast-food workers
6 months, 1 week ago

In-N-Out G prices hike as California enforces new minimum wage for fast-food workers

Hindustan Times  

The new state policy of California is not sitting well with the USP of In-N-Out of providing low-cost fast food meals to its customers. California announced a new state policy which stated mandated a minimum wage of $20 per hour for fast-food workers. An In-N-Out fast food chain restaurant increased prices due to California's $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers. …

The shocking state of the restaurant industry: ‘We can’t afford to be open. We can’t afford to be closed.’
7 months, 1 week ago

The shocking state of the restaurant industry: ‘We can’t afford to be open. We can’t afford to be closed.’

LA Times  

In October, Lauren and Peter Lemos locked the doors of their Chinatown sandwich shop for what they thought would be the last time. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1228, the new California law that increased minimum wage for fast-food chain workers by nearly 25%, bumping hourly pay to $20 for restaurant locations with more than 60 outposts in the U.S. “Gas …

Fast-food workers make $20 an hour. California’s other low-wage earners ask: What about us?
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Fast-food workers make $20 an hour. California’s other low-wage earners ask: What about us?

LA Times  

Some California workers are calling for a statewide $20 minimum wage, as Los Angeles in-home support staff pictured above called for in 2022. Between insurance, utilities, rent and labor costs, we’re going to see restaurants go down like dominoes this year.” A bill making its way through the Legislature by Assemblymember Ash Kalra would require California to conduct a study …

Fast food chains are raising their prices after raising minimum wage
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Fast food chains are raising their prices after raising minimum wage

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors …

Small-business owners brace for uncertainty as $20 hourly fast-food wage takes effect
8 months, 1 week ago

Small-business owners brace for uncertainty as $20 hourly fast-food wage takes effect

LA Times  

Justin Foronda, founder/owner of Hifi Kitchen in Los Angeles says he supports a higher minimum wage and tries to pay his employees generously, but the minimum wage is rising so fast that the increased compensation he planned to offer as a retention strategy quickly becomes the new minimum. But with California’s new minimum wage for fast-food workers taking effect this …

California’s $20 minimum wage law has workers, franchisees and politicians divided
8 months, 2 weeks ago

California’s $20 minimum wage law has workers, franchisees and politicians divided

Salon  

California’s $20 minimum-wage mandate officially went into effect on April 1, much to the dismay of major franchisees and Republican critics. The restaurants’ owner, Brian Hom, told the WSJ that he is “definitely not going to hire anymore.” AB 1228 is essentially a collective deal between state lawmakers, labor unions and franchisees following a months-long battle regarding a wage increase …

California schools forced to compete with fast food industry for workers after minimum wage hike
8 months, 2 weeks ago

California schools forced to compete with fast food industry for workers after minimum wage hike

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lost in the hubbub surrounding California’s new $20-per-hour minimum wage for fast food workers is how that raise could impact public schools, forcing districts to compete with the likes of McDonald’s and Wendy’s for cafeteria workers amid a state budget crunch. Last year, the Sacramento Unified School District — anticipating the law’s passage — agreed to a …

California's $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers triggers nearly $2 price bump in many joints
8 months, 2 weeks ago

California's $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers triggers nearly $2 price bump in many joints

Hindustan Times  

Fast food aficionados in California might feel the pinch in their wallets as they discover the cost of their favourite meals has climbed. REUTERS/Carlos Barria On Monday, a newly passed state law, which requires a minimum wage of $20 per hour for fast food workers, came into power. It seems like a reasonable amount.” Conversely, another one expressed his discontent …

Fast-food wage hike puts Democrats on defense as Californians worry about cost of living
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Fast-food wage hike puts Democrats on defense as Californians worry about cost of living

LA Times  

Big fast-food chains including McDonald’s must now pay at least $20 an hour in California. “If it’s for a few dollars more, I don’t know.” The fast-food wage law kicks in as state lawmakers debate how to drive down Californians’ notoriously high electricity bills and grapple with an insurance crisis that is raising costs for many homeowners. “It’s already too …

Your guide to California’s new $20-an-hour minimum wage for fast food workers
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Your guide to California’s new $20-an-hour minimum wage for fast food workers

LA Times  

McDonald’s is among various fast food chains that will be paying their workers the new $20-an-hour minimum wage. New council Along with the higher minimum wage, the new law established a Fast Food Council — composed of business and labor representatives — that has the authority to set future pay increases and develop standards on working conditions and employee safety …

New $20 minimum wage for fast food workers in California is set to start Monday
8 months, 3 weeks ago

New $20 minimum wage for fast food workers in California is set to start Monday

Associated Press  

LIVERMORE, Calif. — Most fast food workers in California will be paid at least $20 an hour beginning Monday when a new law is scheduled to kick in giving more financial security to an historically low-paying profession while threatening to raise prices in a state already known for its high cost of living. “Because I would not have been looking …

Higher prices on the menu as fast-food chains brace for California’s big minimum wage jump
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Higher prices on the menu as fast-food chains brace for California’s big minimum wage jump

LA Times  

Major fast-food chains — including, clockwise from top left, Starbucks, McDonald’s, Chipotle, Jack in the Box and Shake Shack — plan to raise menu prices after California’s minimum wage for fast-food workers increases to $20 an hour on April 1. “This is such a dramatic increase on a state minimum wage that was already quite high,” said Harry Holzer, a …

California raises minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 per hour
1 year, 2 months ago

California raises minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 per hour

Salon  

According to a new report from the Associated Press, California will raise the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 per hour. Prior to the increase, California already boasted one of the highest minimum wages in the U.S. at $15.50 per hour. The current wage oftentimes puts the bulk of fast food workers below the poverty line level of …

California Raises Minimum Wage For Fast Food Workers To $20 Per Hour
1 year, 2 months ago

California Raises Minimum Wage For Fast Food Workers To $20 Per Hour

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California fast food workers will be paid at least $20 per hour next year under a new law signed Thursday by Democratic Gov. California’s fast food workers earn an average of $16.60 per hour, or just over $34,000 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In California, most fast food workers …

New California law raises minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 per hour, among nation’s highest
1 year, 2 months ago

New California law raises minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 per hour, among nation’s highest

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A new law in California will raise the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 per hour next year, an acknowledgment from the state’s Democratic leaders that most of the often overlooked workforce are the primary earners for their low-income households. “We have the opportunity to reward that contribution, reward that sacrifice and stabilize an industry.” …

Walmart cuts starting hourly pay for some workers in move it says will offer consistency in staffing
1 year, 3 months ago

Walmart cuts starting hourly pay for some workers in move it says will offer consistency in staffing

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, is making adjustments to its pay scale that will mean some new store workers, like those fetching online orders, begin at a lower hourly pay rate than they would have a few months ago. The change, which became effective in July and was first reported by The Wall Street Journal on …

Low wages, short hours drive many fast-food workers into homelessness
1 year, 7 months ago

Low wages, short hours drive many fast-food workers into homelessness

LA Times  

Fast-food workers protest for a $15 hourly minimum wage outside a McDonald’s restaurant in East Los Angeles in 2021. “It was either my car and eat, or rent.” De la Torre’s situation is not uncommon among current and recent fast-food workers, who make up 11% of all homeless workers in California and 9% in Los Angeles County, according to a …

Pay rise comes for New Yorkers, but some chafe at compromise
1 year, 7 months ago

Pay rise comes for New Yorkers, but some chafe at compromise

Associated Press  

ALBANY, N.Y. — A deal to raise minimum wages in New York would keep the state near the top of the list of places with the highest base pay for low-paid workers, but the raise amount is disappointing some labor activists who had hoped for a bigger bump. The minimum hourly wage would rise to $17 in New York City …

Push in states for $20 minimum wage as inflation persists
1 year, 8 months ago

Push in states for $20 minimum wage as inflation persists

Associated Press  

ALBANY, N.Y. — Just years after labor activists persuaded a handful of states to raise their minimum wage to $15 per hour, workers initially thrilled with the pay bump are finding their hard-won gains erased by inflation. A bill in New York would raise the state’s minimum wage to $21.25 by 2026, and then adjust it each year going forward …

New Mexico governor backs $15 min wage for school workers
2 years, 10 months ago

New Mexico governor backs $15 min wage for school workers

Associated Press  

SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham now backs a $15 minimum wage for school workers. A budget proposal from Lujan Grisham to the Legislature earlier this month had called for a $15 minimum wage for state workers, but not for school workers. And frankly, they just need to do it.” Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Sackett …

Restaurant paying living wage mocks hiring struggle claims: ‘It’s a cheap labour shortage’
3 years, 1 month ago

Restaurant paying living wage mocks hiring struggle claims: ‘It’s a cheap labour shortage’

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The TikToker who goes by the …

$15 wage becoming a norm as employers struggle to fill jobs
3 years, 4 months ago

$15 wage becoming a norm as employers struggle to fill jobs

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The signs and banners are dotted along suburban commercial strips and hanging in shop windows and restaurants, evidence of a new desperation among America’s service-industry employers: “Now Hiring, $15 an hour.” It is hardly the official federal minimum wage — at $7.25, that level hasn’t been raised since 2009 — but for many lower-skilled workers, $15 an hour …

The real reason employers can’t hire enough workers (opinion)
3 years, 6 months ago

The real reason employers can’t hire enough workers (opinion)

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Jill Filipovic is a journalist based in New York and author of the book “OK Boomer, Let’s Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind.” Follow her on Twitter. CNN — As life in the United States tiptoes back toward something resembling Before Times, many employers are facing an unexpected problem: they can’t hire the workers they need. Think …

Desperate for workers, US restaurants and stores raise pay
3 years, 7 months ago

Desperate for workers, US restaurants and stores raise pay

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — U.S. restaurants and stores are rapidly raising pay in an urgent effort to attract more applicants and keep up with a flood of customers as the pandemic eases. “By raising pay, they are able to get more workers in the door.” In April, even as overall hiring slowed, a category that includes restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues hired …

McDonald’s raises minimum pay at corporate locations as workers in 15 cities plan strikes for $15 hourly wage
3 years, 7 months ago

McDonald’s raises minimum pay at corporate locations as workers in 15 cities plan strikes for $15 hourly wage

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors …

McDonald’s raising US workers’ pay in company-owned stores
3 years, 7 months ago

McDonald’s raising US workers’ pay in company-owned stores

Associated Press  

McDonald’s is raising pay at 650 company-owned stores in the U.S. as part of its push to hire thousands of new workers in a tight labor market. McDonald’s follows other chains including Chipotle, which said Monday that it will raise workers’ pay to an average of $15 per hour by the end of June. McDonald’s, based in Chicago, said Thursday …

Biden to sign $15 minimum wage for federal contract workers
3 years, 7 months ago

Biden to sign $15 minimum wage for federal contract workers

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} President …

Opinion: Black women delivered for Biden. Now it’s time for Congress to deliver on a $15 minimum wage
3 years, 8 months ago

Opinion: Black women delivered for Biden. Now it’s time for Congress to deliver on a $15 minimum wage

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Rebecca Dixon is executive director of the National Employment Law Project. Black women helped deliver the presidency and the Senate to the Democrats, who ran on the promise of a $15 an hour minimum wage, among other things. Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour — and eliminating the abysmal $2.13 federal subminimum wage for tipped …

GOP senator rejects $15 minimum wage saying he once earned $6 an hour, or $23 with inflation
3 years, 9 months ago

GOP senator rejects $15 minimum wage saying he once earned $6 an hour, or $23 with inflation

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Republican …

Costco To Raise Minimum Wage To $16 An Hour: 'This Isn't Altruism'
3 years, 9 months ago

Costco To Raise Minimum Wage To $16 An Hour: 'This Isn't Altruism'

NPR  

Costco To Raise Minimum Wage To $16 An Hour: 'This Isn't Altruism' Enlarge this image toggle caption Joe Raedle/Getty Images Joe Raedle/Getty Images Costco plans to edge up its starting wage to $16 an hour starting next week, CEO W. Craig Jelinek said on Thursday, revealing plans that would propel his company ahead of most of its retail competitors. Sponsor …

AOC calls Republicans’ $10 minimum wage pitch ‘legislated poverty
3 years, 9 months ago

AOC calls Republicans’ $10 minimum wage pitch ‘legislated poverty

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has shot down a pitch from Republican lawmakers …

$15 minimum wage debate: Everything you need to know
3 years, 10 months ago

$15 minimum wage debate: Everything you need to know

CNN  

CNN — House Democrats have included a minimum wage hike in their latest Covid relief bill, although a ruling from the Senate parliamentarian means it can’t be included in the final package. Because so many states have their own, higher minimum wage, relatively few American workers make the federal minimum wage. More than half of states – 29 – have …

Minimum wage and inflation: These two charts show how much workers have fallen behind
3 years, 10 months ago

Minimum wage and inflation: These two charts show how much workers have fallen behind

CNN  

CNN — With Congress already battling over hiking the minimum wage to $15 an hour, President Joe Biden likely raised a few eyebrows when he recently said that thefederal minimum wage would actually be $20 if it were indexed to inflation. While the President bungled two different statistics at a CNN town hall last week, the thrust of what he …

Biden, Democrats hit gas on push for $15 minimum wage
3 years, 10 months ago

Biden, Democrats hit gas on push for $15 minimum wage

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Democratic push to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour has emerged as an early flashpoint in the fight for a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, testing President Joe Biden’s ability to bridge Washington’s partisan divides as he pursues his first major legislative victory. Including the wage increase, Murkowski said, “complicates politically an initiative that …

‘Moral imperative’: Bernie Sanders and Democrats introduce $15 minimum wage bill
3 years, 10 months ago

‘Moral imperative’: Bernie Sanders and Democrats introduce $15 minimum wage bill

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Senator …

Joe Biden wants to use coronavirus relief to raise federal minimum wage to $15
3 years, 11 months ago

Joe Biden wants to use coronavirus relief to raise federal minimum wage to $15

Salon  

President-elect Joe Biden called on Congress to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 as part of his $1.9 billion coronavirus relief proposal unveiled on Thursday. Biden outlined his plan in a speech in Delaware, calling for Congress to approve $1,400 direct payments on top of the $600 checks in the last stimulus bill, extending of enhanced federal unemployment benefits …

'The pandemic has been an accelerator': Kamala Harris joins Bernie Sanders in campaign for minimum wage hike
4 years, 1 month ago

'The pandemic has been an accelerator': Kamala Harris joins Bernie Sanders in campaign for minimum wage hike

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “There is this suggestion we’ve heard …

Trump Administration Plan Would Cut Pay For Essential Farm Workers
4 years, 2 months ago

Trump Administration Plan Would Cut Pay For Essential Farm Workers

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING The low-wage farm workers who’ve put food on America’s dinner tables throughout the coronavirus pandemic could soon see a pay cut courtesy of the Trump administration. If the administration suspends collecting data for the AEWR without another plan in place, many farms would be allowed to pay lower wages to field workers as early as next year. …

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