US EditionTwo Years Later, Californians Still Don’t Know Full Impact of the $20 Fast Food Wage
Two conflicting studies dispute the $20 fast food wage's effects on employment and prices, highlighting ongoing political and economic tensions in California's labor market.
- On the second anniversary of the 2023 compromise, California's fast food workers saw their minimum wage raised to $20 an hour, effective April 2024, after the California Legislature passed the measure with party-line votes and Governor Gavin Newsom signed it.
- After a 2022 fight over a $22 proposal, labor unions pushed for higher wages, leading to a 2023 compromise enacted by lawmakers.
- Labor acted first with a September 5 UC‑Berkeley Center analysis concluding 19,102 fast food jobs lost, while Michael Reich and Denis Sosinskiy found no employment decline and only minimal price rises; five days later, the Virginia-based Employment Policies Institute issued a BLS data study.
- The industry launched a ballot campaign pledging unlimited spending to overturn the law, reflecting franchise system concerns as the California state Capitol nears the close of its 2025 legislative session.
- Two competing studies mean uncertainty persists about the law's impact, while Los Angeles $30 hospitality wage fight reflects broader labor-employer tensions under union-friendly Democrats in California.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Santa Maria Times
Two years later, Californians still don’t know full impact of the $20 fast food wage
Dan Walters Commentary: The new wage went into effect in April 2024, and since then the industry and the unions have sparred over its impact not only on wages but on overall employment and fast food prices.
Two years later, Californians still don't know full impact of the $20 fast food wage
As the California Legislature churns toward the end of its 2025 session this week, processing the remnants of thousands of bills introduced during the year, several measures encompass the Capitol’s most enduring conflict: Labor unions vs. employers over working conditions. Unions seek higher wages and benefits, citing the welfare and financial needs of workers and their families. Employers counter that the cost of providing what unions want adve…
BLOG: Two years later, Californians still don’t know full impact of the $20 fast food wage
As the California Legislature churns toward the end of its 2025 session this week, processing the remnants of thousands of bills introduced during the year, several measures encompass the Capitol’s most enduring conflict: Labor unions vs. employers over working conditions. Unions seek higher wages and benefits, citing the welfare and financial needs of workers and their families. Employers counter that the cost of providing what unions want adve…
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