A government-appointed council could increase wages for California’s estimated half-million fast food workers to as much as $22 an hour starting next year, under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom Monday.
The law, known as the Fast Act, will establish a first-in-the-nation state council tasked with setting minimum wage standards in California for the entire industry, which relies heavily on the franchise business model and which labor advocates claim has long been plagued with wage theft and other worker abuses.
Passing the measure was a top lobbying priority for state and national leaders of the Service Employees International Union, who were also involved in the continuing national “Fight for $15” campaign to raise minimum wages across the country to $15 an hour.
California’s current minimum wage is $15 an hour, and is set to increase by 50 cents on Jan. 1.
In a statement, Mr. Newsom said the law would give fast food workers a “stronger voice and seat at the table to set fair wages and critical health and safety standards across the industry.”
“We’ve long had a formula, a formula for success around growth and inclusion,” Mr. Newsom said in a video statement released Monday. “I’m proud, on Labor Day, to sign that bill and enshrine it in law.”
Mr. Newsom signed the bill just days after it passed the state Legislature, above objections from McDonald’s Corp. and other major fast food brands that lobbied against the legislation.
In a letter released after the bill’s...
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