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submitted 7 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

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.

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[-] penquin@lemm.ee 50 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

$20 is not even a living wage for a family. And in California, that's basically still a starvation wage. Better than nothing I guess. There should be a law along with this wage increase that prohibits these fuckers from ~~rasing~~ raising their food prices.

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 33 points 7 months ago

I feel like the only reason it passed is because it's still not a living wage here. If they pushed for something actually able to afford an individual a life, it would have been shot down.

[-] penquin@lemm.ee 5 points 7 months ago

Honestly, I'll take it. It's better than nothing. Hopefully this will plant a seed when people have a taste of a somewhat better wage and start demanding more. Fuck this slavery we live in called capitalism.

[-] tal@lemmy.today 15 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

There should be a law along with this wage increase that prohibits these fuckers from rasing their food prices.

Most of the high cost of living in California is due to very high housing prices. It's not food.

https://www.salary.com/tools/cost-of-living-calculator/los-angeles-ca-expense-details

Energy is also high, but one -- hopefully -- isn't spending as much on energy as housing.

If one wants to reduce the cost of living in California, what one wants to do is reduce barriers to building more housing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YIMBY_movement

The YIMBY movement has been particularly strong in California, a state experiencing a substantial housing shortage crisis. Since 2017, YIMBY groups in California have pressured California state and its localities to pass laws to expedite housing construction, follow their own zoning laws, and reduce the stringency of zoning regulations. YIMBY activists have also been active in helping to enforce state law on housing by bringing law-breaking cities to the attention of authorities.

Things have been slowly moving on this front.

In general, there is stronger local opposition to new housing construction locally than at a high level. Like, people are okay with housing in abstract, but don't want riff-raff moving into the neighborhood, or don't want the nice field near them to be built on or don't want higher-density housing to keep their view of the sky as broad as possible or whatever. So California's had legislative work recently at the state level in disallowing localities from blocking new housing construction. Hopefully, it'll get the rate of construction moving.

[-] Riven@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 7 months ago

Not just reduce the barrier but also stop these companies form buying up all the houses. If someone can dictate how much rent we pay then the problem will never truly be solved. These companies can afford to just sit on an empty property while it just gains value over time, they don't have an incentive to reduce prices to get people in. The incentives should be punishments not gains for these companies. It's the only real way to fix stuff.

[-] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 13 points 7 months ago

Luckily McDs is starting to feel the pinch from people forgoing their crap food for being too expensive. It would seem they're starting to realize that people do have a limit on what they'll spend on their "food"

[-] penquin@lemm.ee 6 points 7 months ago

Our government is so god damn weak. Corporations run this country with a jungle grip. Some people rag on Europe a lot, but they sure have much better governments than us by a long shot.

[-] Ultragigagigantic@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

For now. All capitalism trends towards end stage. Reforms are just delay the inevitable, not prevent it entirely.

Think back to the 20th century labor movement. Could in your wildest dreams imagine such a movement occurring this day and age? But let's just pretend everything goes perfect and we get a other similar labor movement right now. The best we can hope for is a temporary cease fire in the class war while the 1% works its way back into positions of power.

All the blood sweat and tears shed making the new deal were wasted. Flushed down the drain because they negotiated with financial terrorists. like trying to make peace with russia...

Capitalism always leads to the same dead end. Let's try out something new. Maybe we haven't even created the next way to live our lives yet? How could we find such a thing if we keep going around in a circle in this sarlac pit?

[-] jaybone@lemmy.world 6 points 7 months ago

I went into McDonald’s a couple months ago on a rare craving whim. A Big Mac was almost $7.

If I’m going to pay $7 I’d rather go to Jack in the box or Carl’s Jr and get a better quality burger. I don’t see how the market allows them to get away with this. Who the fuck is paying this at McDonald’s?

[-] psycho_driver@lemmy.world 7 points 7 months ago

Yeah the last couple of times I've been in a pinch and went through a fast food place for a basic burger value meal it was $11-$12, and I got the usual half-assed burger slopped together without the proper amount of toppings.

Bitches I can hop into a Cheddars and get a half pound monster that I can barely get into my mouth for $11.

[-] penquin@lemm.ee 5 points 7 months ago

Don't give these assholes your money. Make your own food. That way you save a ton of money and not support these fuckers. Society will still thrive without shitdonald and the likes if they disappear.

[-] return2ozma@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

Western Bacon Cheeseburger combo in the Los Angeles area now...

this post was submitted on 30 Mar 2024
411 points (97.7% liked)

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