SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Governor Newsom announced on Labor Day that he has signed AB 257 – a bill that aims to improve wages and workplace conditions for fast food workers.
“I’m really proud of California and I’m proud of the men and women of organized Labor,” he said in a video on Twitter. “At the same time…we recognize there are certain sectors where we’re falling a bit short. And one of those areas is fast food workers.”
Supporters say it will set new minimum standards when it comes to how much fast food workers get paid, health and safety conditions, the right to take time off and protections from discrimination.
“AB 257 is kind of the first of its type in the United States,” said Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, the former San Diego assemblywoman who worked on the bill’s original draft. She explains what makes this bill different from existing labor laws.
“It’s difficult to unionize every individual workplace…so what we’re going to do is create a council by which workers have a voice, employers have a voice and government is also present,” she said.
The bill has been met with opposition.
“In our mind this is frankly a new low point in lawmaking,” said Jot Condie, President & CEO, California Restaurant Association.
ABC 10News spoke with Condie before the bill was signed. He says more industry regulation isn’t the answer: “It’s based on a myth.”
He says that California already has some of the most protective labor laws in the U.S., and that the fast food industry has a low number of violations.
As AB 257 unfolds, he added customers could be the ones covering the cost.
“This is likely to increase food prices by up to 20%,” he said.
Gonzalez says that alternatively companies could take on the extra cost, and not pass it onto consumers.
