This story is produced by the award-winning journalism nonprofit Capital & Main and co-published here with permission.
Fast food workers have been heralded by government officials, executives and some doctors as essential workers during the pandemic. But evidently not treated as such — they endure skirmishes with unmasked customers and work long hours because of scant staffing with other employees out sick, some becoming infected with COVID themselves.
A California measure to improve work standards in the state’s fast food sector was defeated by three votes in the Assembly in July. But it jumped back to life on Jan. 20, reintroduced with modifications by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-San Gabriel Valley), who chairs the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
The clock is now ticking — the measure has to pass the Assembly by Jan. 31 before it moves on to the Senate. An Assembly vote is expected this week.
The Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (FAST Recovery Act) was introduced in January 2021 by then-Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, but Gonzalez resigned a few weeks ago to take over as leader of the California Labor Federation. AB 257 would establish a Fast Food Sector Council that includes representation from the Department of Public Health; corporate fast food franchisors (companies like McDonald’s and Jack in the...
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