Starting April 1, the minimum wage for most fast-food workers in California will jump to $20 an hour — the highest in the U.S.

Starting Monday, most California fast-food workers will earn at least $20 an hour — the highest minimum wage across the U.S. restaurant industry. Yet the pay hike is sparking furious debate, with some restaurant owners warning of job losses and higher prices for customers, while labor advocates tout the benefits of higher wages.

The new law, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom last fall, takes effect on April 1, requiring that fast-food chains with at least 60 locations nationwide pay workers at least $20 an hour. The means the state’s 553,000 fast-food workers will earn more than the state’s $16 minimum wage for all other industries.

The new baseline wage comes as the fast-food industry is seeing booming earnings, with big chains like McDonald’s enjoying strong revenue growth and wider profit margins in recent years. That’s partly due to menu prices that have far outpaced inflation, with fast-food costs surging 47% over the past decade, compared with an average of 29% for all other prices, according to a new analysis from the Roosevelt Institute, a nonpartisan think tank.

  • Letstakealook@lemm.ee
    333·
    9 months ago

    Idk how anyone besides the wealthy survives in California. Someone sent me a job in my field starting at 150k in San Francisco. On paper, it would be really great money for what I do, but the cost of living would make it a poverty wage. I’m not interested in having 6 roommates at this point in my life.

    • brbposting@sh.itjust.works
      72·
      9 months ago

      100k w/four housemates is enough to eat, have fun, and save a wee bit in SF!

      :) heh yeah wildly expensive. No accident the place is in high demand though 🌁🌉* And that’s in spite of parts of downtown feeling like they must be the fentanyl capital of the world. Western half of the city lives a different life than those stuck in e.g. the Tenderloin, very sad whether working class or homeless.

      *emoji depict the Golden Gate Bridge at least on Apple devices

    • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
      53·
      9 months ago

      You should have taken it. You don’t need to live in SF. Plus lots of those jobs are work from home at least part of the time.

      You can rent for a few years and then get a better job at a higher level. It’s worth it to set a new pay level that all other jobs have to beat.