California’s law aimed at fast food wages is on hold. Lawmakers may have found a way around it
1 year, 5 months ago

California’s law aimed at fast food wages is on hold. Lawmakers may have found a way around it

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A new California law aimed in part at boosting salaries for fast food workers has been delayed for nearly two years following industry resistance. But tucked inside California’s more than $300-billion operating budget is a provision to resurrect a long-dormant regulatory commission that would have powers similar to that of the fast food council. Matt Haller, president of the International Franchise Association, said he sees that as a clear attempt by the Legislature to bypass the industry’s efforts to block the law creating the fast food council. “It speaks to desire to create political control over our business model.” State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, a Democrat from Los Angeles and chair of the budget subcommittee responsible for labor issues, said lawmakers were not targeting the fast food industry by restoring the commission’s funding.

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History of this topic

Letters to the Editor: Higher minimum wage hurts the fast-food industry? Maybe that’s a good thing
4 weeks ago

Letters to the Editor: Higher minimum wage hurts the fast-food industry? Maybe that’s a good thing

LA Times  

To the editor: I think it’s important to know that decades ago, there were far fewer fast-food restaurants than there are now. Now, there are an abundance of these places that serve “what the public wants.” Low wages helped drive this trend — and created a workforce to supply the industry’s labor needs. So maybe it’s a good thing that …

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 …

Endorsement: Yes on Proposition 32. California’s minimum wage needs a boost
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Endorsement: Yes on Proposition 32. California’s minimum wage needs a boost

LA Times  

California has an affordability crisis, with millions of people struggling to get by as prices for housing, groceries, gasoline, utilities, child care and other necessities skyrocket. The measure would increase the state’s $16-an-hour minimum wage — which is set to rise to $16.50 on Jan. 1 under current law — to $18 on Jan. 1 for companies with 26 or …

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 …

California fast food workers now earn $20 per hour. Franchisees are responding by cutting hours
5 months, 2 weeks 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 …

L.A. fast-food workers may get a helping hand from City Council
5 months, 3 weeks ago

L.A. fast-food workers may get a helping hand from City Council

LA Times  

Fast-food workers have long complained of unstable schedules that make it difficult to plan their finances, child care, medical appointments and other obligations. The proposal, which Soto-Martinez plans to introduce as a motion Tuesday, seeks to expand the reach of the city’s Fair Work Week law — which requires that employers give retail workers their schedules in advance — to …

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. …

Hiltzik: How the fast-food industry uses deceptive employment numbers
6 months, 1 week ago

Hiltzik: How the fast-food industry uses deceptive employment numbers

LA Times  

The fast-food industry has been wringing its hands over the devastating impact on its business from California’s new minimum wage law for its workers. That brings us back to the claim that job losses among California’s fast-food restaurants are due to the new minimum wage law. The article stated that employment in California’s fast-food and “other limited-service eateries was 726,600 …

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 …

"The curtain was pulled back": The producers of "Food Inc. 2" on why transparency in food matters
8 months, 1 week ago

"The curtain was pulled back": The producers of "Food Inc. 2" on why transparency in food matters

Salon  

“Food, Inc. 2,” the long-awaited sequel to the 2008 Oscar-nominated documentary "Food, Inc,” follows in the footsteps of its revelatory predecessor. Following the documentary’s theatrical premiere, Pollan and Schlosser sat down with Salon to discuss why it’s necessary to have greater transparency within our food system. To put out information that tells you here's what's going on with your food …

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, 3 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 governor pushes back against criticism of fast food minimum wage law
9 months, 3 weeks ago

California governor pushes back against criticism of fast food minimum wage law

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration has denied a news report that he pushed for an exception to the state’s new fast-food minimum wage law that benefits a wealthy campaign donor. Flynn said in a statement Thursday that he opposed the initial legislation and suggested fast casual restaurants like bakeries, bagel shops and delis be excluded “if the …

California fast-food workers form an unusual union in a bid for higher wages, better working conditions
10 months, 2 weeks ago

California fast-food workers form an unusual union in a bid for higher wages, better working conditions

LA Times  

From left, Fernando Rosales, Lourdes Farfan and Zulma Riveria hold flags at a rally in Watts on Friday to kick off the new California Fast Food Workers Union. “Gas isn’t going down, rent isn’t going down,” said Ronquillo, 41, who joined an estimated 350 other fast-food workers at a rally at a Watts community center to inaugurate the state’s newest …

California Pizza Hut franchises to lay off more than 1,100 delivery drivers ahead of wage hike
11 months, 3 weeks ago

California Pizza Hut franchises to lay off more than 1,100 delivery drivers ahead of wage hike

LA Times  

More than 1,100 Pizza Hut delivery workers are set to be laid off ahead of California’s mandated pay increase for fast-food workers. Ahead of statewide minimum wage increases for fast-food workers, hundreds of California Pizza Hut franchises announced cuts in their delivery services, laying off more than 1,100 drivers, according to federal and state filings. It wasn’t immediately clear whether …

Minimum-wage workers in these California cities are getting a raise in 2024
1 year ago

Minimum-wage workers in these California cities are getting a raise in 2024

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom signs the fast-food bill, surrounded by fast food workers at the SEIU Local 721 in Los Angeles, in September. Workers at fast-food restaurants and in minimum-wage jobs can expect a pay bump soon, courtesy of higher wage floors adopted by California lawmakers and more than two dozen cities across the state. In California, the minimum wage is currently …

California Gov. Newsom signs law to slowly raise health care workers’ minimum wage to $25 per hour
1 year, 2 months ago

California Gov. Newsom signs law to slowly raise health care workers’ minimum wage to $25 per hour

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will raise the minimum wage for health care workers to $25 per hour over the next decade under a new law Democratic Gov. The wage increase for health care workers reflects a carefully crafted compromise in the final days of the legislative session between the health care industry and labor unions to avoid some expensive ballot …

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.” …

California fast food and health care workers poised to win major salary increases
1 year, 3 months ago

California fast food and health care workers poised to win major salary increases

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nearly 1 million California workers are poised to win major salary increases after labor unions flexed their collective muscle in the state’s Democratic-led Legislature on Monday following a summer of high-profile strikes in the entertainment and hospitality industries. Most of the state’s 500,000 fast food workers would be paid at least $20 per hour next year under …

Labor, business reach deal to raise fast-food wages and end California ballot fight
1 year, 3 months ago

Labor, business reach deal to raise fast-food wages and end California ballot fight

LA Times  

Corporations have agreed to pull a referendum off next year’s ballot that sought to reverse California’s landmark fast-food wage law under a peace accord with labor unions. Fast-food companies agreed over the weekend to pull a California referendum off next year’s ballot that sought to reverse a landmark worker protection law, forgoing a costly political fight with labor unions over …

California's law aimed at fast food wages is on hold. Lawmakers may have found a way around it
1 year, 5 months ago

California's law aimed at fast food wages is on hold. Lawmakers may have found a way around it

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A new California law aimed …

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 …

Californians will vote on whether to overturn fast-food law
1 year, 10 months ago

Californians will vote on whether to overturn fast-food law

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A voter initiative that would overturn a California law aimed at raising wages and improving working conditions for more than a half-million fast food workers has qualified for next year’s ballot, authorities said Tuesday. The first-in-the-nation law, passed last year, establishes a 10-member council empowered to set minimum wages as well as standards for hours and working …

California union alleges that fast-food effort to block new labor law is ‘willfully misleading voters’
2 years, 1 month ago

California union alleges that fast-food effort to block new labor law is ‘willfully misleading voters’

LA Times  

Fast-food workers rally in July at Los Angeles City Hall to protest working conditions and to demand a voice on the job through the landmark Fast Recovery Act, which became law in September. California’s largest union on Thursday lodged a complaint with state officials alleging that a fast-food industry coalition violated state election rules in its campaign to block a …

Column: The fast-food industry gears up to kill another pro-worker state law
2 years, 3 months ago

Column: The fast-food industry gears up to kill another pro-worker state law

LA Times  

McDonald’s, the largest fast-food company in the world, has been at the forefront of dodging responsibility for restaurant workers. It’s a fair bet that the fast-food industry’s plan to overturn the Fast Act at the ballot box will resemble the Proposition 22 campaign. Service Employees International Union President Mary Kay Henry calls its plan “an act of extraordinary greed and …

Newsom signs landmark law for fast-food workers
2 years, 3 months ago

Newsom signs landmark law for fast-food workers

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom on Monday signed a nation-leading measure giving more than half a million fast-food workers in California more power and protections, despite the objections of restaurant owners who warned it would drive up consumers’ costs. Business California Legislature passes bill to protect fast-food workers Under the Fast Food Recovery Act, a council would be authorized to set the minimum …

Op-Ed: How a new California law for fast-food workers can set a path for industries nationwide
2 years, 3 months ago

Op-Ed: How a new California law for fast-food workers can set a path for industries nationwide

LA Times  

McDonald’s employee Nidia Torres speaks at an April 2021 rally in Boyle Heights in support of Assembly Bill 257, the fast-food worker rights legislation that passed in the California Legislature this week. Assembly Bill 257, which builds on Progressive and New Deal-era legislation in the United States and successful models abroad, gives fast-food workers a collective voice in determining their …

California lawmakers approve landmark fast food workers bill
2 years, 3 months ago

California lawmakers approve landmark fast food workers bill

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers on Monday approved a nation-leading measure that would give more than a half-million fast food workers more power and protections, over the objections of restaurant owners who warn it would drive up consumers’ costs. “We made history today,” said Service Employees International Union President Mary Kay Henry, calling it “a watershed moment.” “This legislation is …

California Legislature passes bill to protect fast-food workers
2 years, 3 months ago

California Legislature passes bill to protect fast-food workers

LA Times  

Under the Fast Food Recovery Act, a council would be authorized to set the minimum wage and regulate working conditions for fast-food workers. “We’re looking to give workers a voice on the job, and for workers in the fast-food industry, which will continue to try to organize, it’s tough,” said former legislator Lorena Gonzalez, the original author of the bill, …

California weighs rules giving fast food workers more power
2 years, 3 months ago

California weighs rules giving fast food workers more power

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Since she came to California from Mexico 24 years ago, Maria Bernal has been supporting her family by often working two jobs at fast food restaurants. The proposal awaiting final action before the California Legislature adjourns Wednesday would create a new Fast Food Council made up of four workers’ delegates alongside four employers’ representatives and two state …

Fast-food workers plan to strike across California today for better working conditions
2 years, 6 months ago

Fast-food workers plan to strike across California today for better working conditions

LA Times  

A rally of fast food workers and supporters for passage of AB 257, a fast-food worker health and safety bill, on Thursday. Fast-food workers across California are on strike Thursday in an effort to pressure state lawmakers to pass a landmark bill to improve and standardize working conditions. Hundreds planned to gather at noon in front of Los Angeles City …

Column: California has an answer for worker abuse in the fast-food industry
2 years, 10 months ago

Column: California has an answer for worker abuse in the fast-food industry

LA Times  

Workers protest for better working conditions and to demand passage of AB 257 at a Burger King in San Diego in November. “Powerful global corporations like McDonald’s use the franchise model to ensure they extract profits from the business,” Catherine L. Fisk and Amy W. Reavis of UC Berkeley’s law school observed in December. has no way to increase its …

The fast-food model lets corporations escape liability. California might chart a new course
3 years, 1 month ago

The fast-food model lets corporations escape liability. California might chart a new course

LA Times  

Fast-food workers across California plan to walk off the job in a push to expand legal liability beyond individual franchisees to their corporate franchisers. Fast-food workers at stores scattered across California plan to walk off the job Nov. 9 and rally outside McDonald’s locations in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland and Sacramento in a push to expand legal …

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