Newsom signs fast-food worker measure on Labor Day

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a nation-leading measure that promises to give more than a half-million fast food workers more power and protections.

Restaurant owners opposed Assembly Bill 257, warning it would drive up consumers’ costs.

The new law will create a new 10-member Fast Food Council with equal numbers of workers’ delegates and employers’ representatives, along with two state officials, empowered to set minimum standards for wages, hours and working conditions in California.

A late amendment capped any minimum wage increase for fast food workers at chains with more than 100 restaurants at $22 an hour next year, compared with the statewide minimum of $15.50 an hour, with cost of living increases thereafter.

“California is committed to ensuring that the men and women who have helped build our world-class economy are able to share in the state’s prosperity,” Newsom said Monday. “Today’s action gives hardworking fast-food workers a stronger voice and seat at the table to set fair wages and critical health and safety standards across the industry. I’m proud to sign this legislation on Labor Day when we pay tribute to the workers who keep our state running as we build a stronger, more inclusive economy for all Californians.”

Last week, the bill got full approval from legislators in Sacramento. A labor movement fighting for union status among fast food workers hailed the signature Monday.

“We look forward to having a say in creating safe and healthy workplaces across the fast-food industry and to AB 257 serving as a model for workers across the country who desperately need a seat at the table, ” said Anneisha Williams, a Los Angeles fast-food worker and leader in the Fight for $15 and a Union.

The Senate approved the measure on a 21-12 vote, over bipartisan opposition. The Assembly then sent it Aug. 30 to Gov. Gavin Newsom after a final 41-16 vote.

Co-author and Los Angeles Assemblymember Miguel Santiago said the measure would create “a system of fairness and respect for over 550,000 frontline fast-food workers throughout California while ensuring fast food businesses continue to thrive.”

Last week, almost every Republican senator spoke in opposition, including Sen. Brian Dahle, who also is the Republican nominee for governor in November.

“This is a stepping stone to unionize all these workers. At the end of the day, it’s going to drive up the cost of the products that they serve,” Dahle said. He added: “There are no slaves that work for California businesses, period. You can quit any day you want and you can go get a job someplace else if you don’t like your employer.”

Restaurant owners and franchisers cited an analysis they commissioned by the UC Riverside Center for Economic Forecast and Development saying that the legislation would increase consumers’ costs. Newsom’s administration also feared the measure would create “a fragmented regulatory and legal environment.”

The debate has drawn attention nationwide, including on Capitol Hill where Democratic U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna has expressed hope it will trigger similar efforts elsewhere.

It’s “one of the most significant pieces of employment legislation passed in a generation,” said Columbia Law School labor law expert Kate Andrias. She called it “a huge step forward for some of the most vulnerable workers in the country, giving them a collective voice in their working conditions.”

The bill grew out of a union movement to boost the minimum wage.

International Franchise Association President and CEO Matthew Haller countered that the legislation “is a discriminatory measure aimed to target the franchise business model to bolster union ranks.”

Organizations representing Asian, Black and LGBTQ businesses sent a letter to senators Monday arguing that the measure would harm minority owners and workers.

Source: Orange County Register