New Law Raises Fast Food Worker Salaries To $20 An Hour

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When does it go into affect? When it takes effect on Apr. 1 next year, fast food workers in California will have among the highest minimum wages in the country. But it only affects workers at restaurants with at least 60 locations nationwide. The law excludes restaurants that make and sell their own bread, like Panera Bread.

What the fast food industry says: Matt Haller, the president and CEO of the International Franchise Association, says the legislation solidifies the best possible outcome for workers and local restaurant owners and brands.

Why does it matter? In Los Angeles County, an estimated 3,600 fast food workers are unhoused. According to Service Employees International Union, the union advocating for fast food workers, about 60% of fast food workers are women and the majority are Black or Latino.

"In the last two years alone, they have waged 450 strikes across the state making clear the need for fast food corporations to treat them with dignity," SEIU President Mary Kay Henry said.

What do fast food workers face? Angelica Hernandez, who has worked at McDonald's for nearly 20 years, says she's experienced sexual harassment, wage theft, and heat exhaustion at work in a July interview with LAist.

"I can't afford to say I'm not going to work because my check is short and I have no way to pay my bills," Hernandez said.

How did we get here? Last year, Newsom signed legislation to create protections for fast food workers and raise their pay. Fast food companies then spent millions collecting signatures to send the bill to a referendum on next year's ballot. Earlier this month, those companies agreed to boost worker pay, and in exchange, withdrew the referendum.

Go deeper: A report finds an estimated 3,600 L.A. County fast food workers are unhoused