New California law raises minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 per hour

[Kamaji]

New California law raises minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 per hour, will be highest in industry

By Associated Press
Published Sep. 28, 2023

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A new law in California will raise the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 per hour next year, an acknowledgment from the state’s Democratic leaders that most of the often overlooked workforce are the primary earners for their low-income households.

When it takes effect on April 1, fast food workers in California will have the highest guaranteed base salary in the industry.

The state’s minimum wage for all other workers — $15.50 per hour — is already among the highest in the United States.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the law Thursday amid a throng of cheering workers and labor leaders at an event in Los Angeles. Newsom dismissed the popular view that fast food jobs are meant for teenagers to have their first experience in the workforce.

“That’s a romanticized version of a world that doesn’t exist,” Newsom said. “We have the opportunity to reward that contribution, reward that sacrifice and stabilize an industry.”

Newsom’s signature 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.

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/09/28/new-california-law-raises-minimum-wage-for-fast-food-workers-to-20-per-hour-will-be-highest-in-industry/

[Kamaji]

Headline should actually read:  "New California law puts mostraises minimum wage for fast food workers out of workto $20 per hour"

[andy58-in-nh]

Can you say "automation"? I knew you could!

[PeteS in CA]

...
Can you say "automation"? I knew you could!

The second or third generation of fast-food robots are probably already in production, the earlier generation having already been proven out and improved on due to previous arbitrary gooberment minimum wage boosts.

[mountaineer]

Unemployment and/or restaurant closures to follow.

[mystery-ak]

Gavin Newsom Signs Law Requiring Fast Food Restaurants to Pay $20 per Hour

Joel B. Pollak 29 Sep 2023

Califoria Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) was exultant Thursday after signing a law to raise wages in fast food restaurants to $20 per hour and to create a new “council” that will govern the industry.

“California is home to more than 500,000 fast-food workers who – for decades – have been fighting for higher wages and better working conditions,” Newsom said in a statement. “Today, we take one step closer to fairer wages, safer and healthier working conditions, and better training by giving hardworking fast-food workers a stronger voice and seat at the table.”

The legislation, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month, was the result of months of intimidation by state Democrats against the industry. The Journal noted:

    Democrats last year passed a law establishing a state council with open-ended authority to set wages, benefits and working conditions for fast-food shops. Businesses responded, as California law says they can, by qualifying a referendum for the November 2024 ballot to overturn the law.

    But in mafia-like fashion, Democrats retaliated and threatened more punishment if fast-food restaurants didn’t drop the referendum. The June state budget revived a long-dormant Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) with sweeping authority to set wages, hours and working conditions across all industries, not only fast food.

    …

    The deal Gov. Newsom announced rescinds funding for the state Industrial Welfare Commission and drops the joint-employer liability legislation. The state fast-food council will also be replaced by a board whose authorities are nominally more limited. In return, businesses dropped the referendum.

The current average hourly fast food wage in California is over $16. Already, critics say that $20 is not enough.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2023/09/29/gavin-newsom-signs-law-requiring-fast-food-restaurants-to-pay-20-per-hour/

[PeteS in CA]

Unemployment and/or restaurant closures to follow.

In some parts of the Bay Area, restaurant casualties of this arbitrary minimum wage will be hard to distinguish from crime casualties.

[mountaineer]

In some parts of the Bay Area, restaurant casualties of this arbitrary minimum wage will be hard to distinguish from crime casualties.

Good point.

[Kamaji]

Can you say "automation"? I knew you could!

Exactly.  First to go will be all of the order-takers; replaced with serve-yourself ordering kiosks.

[240B]

$20 is $40,000 assuming a 40 hr work week, which is more than managers are usually paid.
If burger flippers are getting $20, the manager would get ~$30+ so $60,000 - $65,000.
That is a college level salary.

School teacher yells, "Do your homework or you will wind up at McDonalds."
All the kids are 'lovin it!'

[DefiantMassRINO]

They'll lean on more salaried low-level managers and automation ... the ones that don't close.

[GtHawk]

$20 is $40,000 assuming a 40 hr work week, which is more than managers are usually paid.
If burger flippers are getting $20, the manager would get ~$30+ so $60,000 - $65,000.
That is a college level salary.

School teacher yells, "Do your homework or you will wind up at McDonalds."
All the kids are 'lovin it!'

Hell there is no such thing as a burger flipper at MickeyD's and hasn't been for over thirty years because of clamshell grills so there isn't even the thought and skill involved in burger flipping. Every fast food operation from MickeyD's to Carl's to Jack is a no thought job, throw the patty on the grill or into the automated 'flame' broiler and throw it into the warming cabinet for later assembly. This is why automation will easily replace 90% of the staff. When I started managing I had about a hundred and thirty hour employees, when I left in 98 I had about forty +/-, that is what improved equipment did in twenty years when labor and food costs were way less than today. I can see a not to distant future when there are only enough human staff to push orders out the drive thru(because all inside seating will be closed) and to fill the robots with product and do the cleaning. All hail the job killers of the socialist democrat party in California. Let's not forget the democrats special fee they want to hit fast food operations with more than 60 units nationwide(not statewide) a fee that could hit $250K per store!

Just think, Noisome wants to provide this leadership to the nation! Not to thread hijack but Noisome also signed 23 new anti 2nd Amendment gun laws too!

[Smokin Joe]

Exactly.  First to go will be all of the order-takers; replaced with serve-yourself ordering kiosks.

Yep. Then they will dispense with sit down areas and everything will be walk up or drive through.

[Kamaji]

Yep. Then they will dispense with sit down areas and everything will be walk up or drive through.

Why would they do away with sit down areas?  Retain one individual to keep them clean for now, until Roomba manages to develop a robot that will take over all cleaning duties for the sit down area.

[GtHawk]

Why would they do away with sit down areas?  Retain one individual to keep them clean for now, until Roomba manages to develop a robot that will take over all cleaning duties for the sit down area.

No inside seating, means no wiping tables and seats, no sweeping and mopping and no destruction of restroom facilities, so the dollar savings is in utilities and M&R not just labor, also it means not taking one of the few humans away from tasks that actually earn profits. I can see future MickeyD's going complete retro as walk up and drive up only.

[Kamaji]

No inside seating, means no wiping tables and seats, no sweeping and mopping and no destruction of restroom facilities, so the dollar savings is in utilities and M&R not just labor, also it means not taking one of the few humans away from tasks that actually earn profits. I can see future MickeyD's going complete retro as walk up and drive up only.

Possible.  Perhaps outside seating that is under cover from rain and sun, but otherwise exposed to the elements.  No restroom facilities, as those are definitely a cost center.  If providing seating brings in additional customers, then maintaining it is a revenue-generating activity, not simply a cost center.

[GtHawk]

Possible.  Perhaps outside seating that is under cover from rain and sun, but otherwise exposed to the elements.  No restroom facilities, as those are definitely a cost center.  If providing seating brings in additional customers, then maintaining it is a revenue-generating activity, not simply a cost center.

Yeah, can't tell you how often inside seating was taken over by groups of kids, teens, seniors for hours and their sole addition to sales consisted of sodas and coffee with lots of refills   Outdoor seating not so bad because you could just hose it off. I would have loved a location with just walk up, outdoor seating and a single window DT...easy peasy! The big problem is I lived through the days when customer service was key and customers, as a rule were polite and non destructive, but after seeing the changes in attitude both corporate and public over 22+ years, saying I became jaded with the attitude of both would be putting it mildly.

[Kamaji]

Yeah, can't tell you how often inside seating was taken over by groups of kids, teens, seniors for hours and their sole addition to sales consisted of sodas and coffee with lots of refills

I understand.  I've seen it before - I worked in the kitchen of a BK on campus one year, and I saw how often the booths were filled with students who spent all day studying, and purchased maybe a cup of coffee.

The decision has to be based store to store.

[sneakypete]

Yeah,THAT ought to work out well!

[DB]

A snake chasing its tail...

[GtHawk]

A snake chasing its tail...

If California was a snake it would be well past chasing it's tail it would have consumed itself well past mid point, the ever shrinking Ouroboros Here's a graphic of a democrat controlled California