When it takes effect on April 1, fast food workers in the state will have among the highest minimum wages in the country.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/5923468

California fast food workers will be paid at least $20 per hour next year under a new law signed Thursday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

When it takes effect on April 1, fast food workers in the state will have among the highest minimum wages in the country, according to data compiled by the University of California-Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education. The state’s minimum wage for all other workers is at $15.50 per hour and is already among the highest in the nation.

Newsom’s signature on Thursday reflects the power and influence of labor unions in the nation’s most populous state, which have worked to organize fast food workers in an attempt to improve their wages and working conditions.

  • tallwookie@lemm.eeEnglish
    41·
    1 year ago

    does that translate into a markedly higher standard of living? are people able to save more or are bills and such just significantly higher?

    • notacatlol@lemm.ee
      2·
      1 year ago

      This is already the starting wage at certain fast food places in metropolitan areas in southern California. The workers still have a tough time.

      • SokathHisEyesOpen@lemmy.mlEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        Right, but those places may raise their wages again to compensate. Making $20 an hour somewhere like Tulare, or Madera, for an entry level job, is huge.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    California fast food workers will be paid at least $20 per hour next year under a new law signed Thursday by Gov.

    When it takes effect on April 1, fast food workers in the state will have among the highest minimum wages in the country, according to data compiled by the University of California-Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education.

    In exchange for higher pay, labor unions have dropped their attempt to make fast food corporations liable for the misdeeds of their independent franchise operators in California, an action that could have upended the business model on which the industry is based.

    We ride on their shoulders," said Anneisha Williams, who works at a Jack in the Box restaurant in Southern California.

    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.

    The law creates a fast food council that has the power to increase that wage each year through 2029 by 3.5% or the change in averages for the U.S. Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers, whichever is lower.

    The original article contains 350 words, the summary contains 189 words. Saved 46%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

    • Neuromancer@lemm.ee
      6·
      1 year ago

      Read the fine print. This isn’t as exciting as it sounds. Basically, only the large national chains have to pay it.

      Also, bakeries such a Panera are excluded. So while it’s better than nothing, it isn’t something to celebrate.