California Assembly lawmakers advanced a bill that would create a new council to oversee statewide standards for minimum wage and working conditions in the fast-food sector.
A majority of Assemblymembers voted to advance Assembly Bill 257 on Monday, which proposes the creation of a Fast Food Sector Council within the Department of Industrial Relations. If the bill is passed by the Senate and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the council would be composed of 11 members appointed by the governor, the Speaker of the Assembly and the Senate Rules Committee.
Members of the council would be tasked with creating minimum standards on wages, working conditions and working hours for fast-food restaurants across the state. The panel would submit a report to the Legislature regarding their recommendations before the new standards would take effect.
Several bill supporters on Monday said the bill would address issues within the sector and ensure protections for the more than 550,000 fast-food workers across the state.
“California has a chance to lead the country and address longstanding issues in the fast food industry by creating a statewide Fast Food Sector Council,” Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, the bill’s author, said Monday. “Despite the fast food industry’s rapid growth in California’s private sector, employees’ wages continue to reflect some of the lowest in the state. Additionally, fast food workers often experience wage theft, harassment and unsafe workplace conditions that have been intensified by the pandemic.”
A recent study focusing on working conditions in Los Angeles County from the UCLA Labor Center found that many fast-food workers “do not receive the workplace protections to which they are legally entitled.” The study found that nearly a quarter of fast-food workers in LA County contracted COVID-19 over the last 18 months, but less than half were notified about potential exposure.
Supporters noted that the bill would aim to address these problems while also promoting equity for fast-food workers across the state – the vast majority of whom are people of color.
Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, a joint author on the bill, told lawmakers on Monday that 8 of 10 fast-food workers in the state are minorities, and 6 in 10 are Latino. Bonta urged lawmakers to pass the bill on Monday to strengthen protections for workers who have continued to serve customers throughout the pandemic.
“Fast food workers were always essential, and the pandemic has brought that more into stark relief as they’ve continued to serve our communities through a global pandemic,” Bonta said ahead of Monday’s vote.
The bill faced pushback from several legislators during a debate on the Assembly floor Monday. Some were concerned about the impact on franchisees and franchisors.
“The liability that is being extended from the franchisor will have a chilling effect on businesses in California because franchisors will simply not grant businesses to franchisees in California,” Assemblyman Kelly Seyarto, R-Murrieta, said Monday. “You will see some of the most popular franchises grow in other areas and wonder why California doesn’t get to have those. It just drives entire franchises and franchise brands away from California.”
Other opponents said that rules and regulations for franchises already exist, noting that enforcement could be needed to solve some of the problems plaguing the fast-food sector.
“There is clearly a problem in the fast food industry, I just don’t think having a separate set of regulations for the fast food industry is the way to do it,” Assemblyman Bill Quirk, D-Hayward, said Monday. “I think enforcement is what we need, and I think the franchisors could help with that.”
Several organizations praised the Assembly’s vote to pass the bill on Monday, including the SEIU California. The organization has more than 700,000 union members, representing healthcare workers, janitors, social workers and city, county and state employees.
“Fast food workers are a lesson in courage,” SEIU California President Bob Schoonover said in a statement. “Despite threats, workplace hazards, retaliation, and profoundly exploitative work conditions, they have emerged as leading voices in the nation for equity and respect at work.”
This article was originally posted on California legislators move to create new ‘Fast Food Sector Council’
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