In the face of recent intense pressures on fast-food workers, employees in the sector in California are about to get a boost with the creation of a body that will set wages and other standards for the industry.
The move is a hard-fought win for the labor movement in the state and is expected to be signed into law – called the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act – by Gavin Newsom, the California governor, later on Thursday.
It comes after a tumultuous period.
Fast-food workers in California have held over 450 strikes since 2020, according to the labor group Fight for $15. The unrest was spurred by having to continue working through the Covid-19 pandemic amid low wages.
Workers have also reported high rates of wage theft, being denied meal breaks or overtime pay, workplace injuries, harassment and retaliation, according to a 2021 report by the UCLA Labor Center.
The new legislation will create a fast food industry council composed of worker representatives, state regulators and franchises.
The new council applies to fast-food chains with over 60 locations under a common brand, with the council submitting any standard approved by a council vote to the California Labor Commission for a rule-making process.
The bill creating the body will also raise the minimum wage for fast-food workers in California to $20 an hour on 1 April 2024, with the council able to set annual wage increases beginning in 2025.
Current median wages for fast-food workers in California...
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