California’s Senate approved a bill offering fast food workers a role in regulating the industry, bringing the “Fight For $15” national labor campaign to the cusp of a landmark win.
The legislation, which must be sent back to the Assembly for final passage, establishes a process for wage and workplace standards to be set by a council, comprised of fast food employees, worker advocates, franchisors, franchisees and government officials. The bill also bans retaliation against fast food workers for raising safety issues. The Senate passed the measure with the minimum number of 21 votes on Monday.
“We’re quite confident that the governor will sign this into law,” Service Employees International Union president Mary Kay Henry said in an interview Monday. The bill effectively offers “another form of collective bargaining” for fast food workers who’ve been obstructed by outdated federal laws and the franchised structure of the industry, she said. “It’s a watershed moment.”
Governor Gavin Newsom’s office declined to say whether he will sign the bill. An analysis by Newsom’s finance department, which opposed an earlier version of the bill, said the council could create a fragmented regulatory and legal situation and possibly raise long-term costs for the industry.
Industry groups are urging Newsom to veto the California bill, and governors elsewhere to steer clear of such legislation.
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