this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2023
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California fast food workers will be paid at least $20 per hour next year under a new law signed Thursday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

When it takes effect on April 1, fast food workers in the state will have among the highest minimum wages in the country, according to data compiled by the University of California-Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education. The state's minimum wage for all other workers is at $15.50 per hour and is already among the highest in the nation.

Newsom's signature on Thursday 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.

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[–] [email protected] 203 points 1 year ago (8 children)

Here's a (not so) funny anecdote: I went to Italy years ago and got McDonald's equivalent of a double quarter pounder with cheese for shits and giggles. Dollar for euro, the price was about the same, if not a little cheaper, in Italy. Now couple that with the fact that Italians have access to healthcare, are paid a living wage, and have ample vacation pay.

These companies could pay their workers properly and provide benefits if they wanted to, they have the money. They don't because fuck you

[–] [email protected] 77 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

But did you ever stop to think about how Italy's system impacts the most important among us: the wealthy shareholders? A truly humane system would prioritize them at all costs.

/s (should be obvious, but I'll put it there to be safe.)

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago

But muh freedumb

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[–] [email protected] 83 points 1 year ago

This is an awesome victory for fast food workers and unions. People constantly shit on the folks working in customer service and kitchen jobs, but they are often gruelling and unpleasant. The people there certainly deserve it more than the CEOs and shareholders exploiting them (I mean, I'm against the entire structure, but if we're working within that structure, then ye ^.^).

[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Hopefully this will cause a push to higher wages across the board. California is expensive to live in, and $20 / hr is reasonable, but difficult, to live on.

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[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 year ago (1 children)

For people who are afraid that raising wages will mean less people employed: for the most part, wage demand is pretty inelastic. Studies have shown that wages changes really don't mess with numbers employed that much. Most places only want to employ the least number of people they can already. They can't go lower, generally.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 year ago

Of course it doesn't. The amount of money these people make is insignificant compared to the billions siphoned off by corporations to payout themselves and their shareholders. Wage suppression is about control.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 1 year ago (4 children)

PA over here still having to eat human feces for lunch since minimum wage is still $7.50

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In CA we'd have to pay $20 for those feces lol.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Food here is no higher than the rest of the country We produce a ton of food. Housing and gasoline are the real expenses.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Money is literally worth half of what it was when I graduated high school in the 90s. My senior year I worked as a grocery clerk and made $9.50/hr while in a small city in Oregon (not expensive California). Math works out for me.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Well, there's this, and this to say you're right. Had the minimum wage tracked in line with production, it would be ~$26 today. If it had tracked in line with inflation, it would probably be closer to $21.45.

That it's been flatlined for so long means people working for minimum wage have been getting steady pay cuts for 50 years.

It also happens that this is one of the reasons social security is straining financially- they were able to predict the demographic bulge of the baby boomers well enough, but they weren't able to predict that wages would be constrained in the way they have been- and wages are the basis for Social Security's funding.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 year ago (7 children)

cool, now give everyone a living wage, maybe a universal income, & you'll have solved poverty

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Now what about the rest of everyone? There need to be regulations for everyone, including gig workers, to make more money.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Gig workers gimped themselves voting to remain as contractors in prop 22. And now there's that stupid 80%(?) majority rule to make amendments.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (3 children)

In those workers’ defense, the delivery companies spent hundreds of millions of dollars on a disinformation campaign to trick the public into thinking that voting for 22 was in their own interest.

It’s absurd that it was on the ballot in the first place.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

Yep, I remember riding in Ubers and conversing with the drivers about it at the time. A lot of their responses were to the effect of "well Uber told us X on a notification on my phone." And I would ask them do you really think Uber has your best interest in mind? I hope I actually woke a few of them up, but most did little to no research, and were actively telling people to vote for it.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

In those workers’ defense, the delivery companies spent hundreds of millions of dollars on a disinformation campaign to trick the public into thinking that voting for 22 was in their own interest.

Probably the single easiest proof that the companies see the proposed changes as a threat to their bottom line. They're not spending that much money for their workers, they believe it'll cost less to sway opinion than it would to change policy. That people still buy into the bs is really disheartening.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

I was one of those tricked 😔

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Go after those who caused the increased cost of living not employees who are simply trying to survive because of it.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (18 children)

I wonder if McD’s “automated” franchises are the preemptive move by the company expecting more of this to happen. The writing was on the wall and they moved to compensate. They make a big deal of it like it’s some cool thing, but IRL they’re just reducing human overhead.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Businesses are always seeking to replace people with not-people in every way they possibly can so I don't think you can really draw a cause and effect here.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Brazil have a shit minimum wage and McDonald's and other fast food restaurants are full with automated cash registries and self service.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

Out of all the pictures likely taken during the announcement they had to use the one with the Wendy’s gal picking her nose?

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