$20 minimum wage for fast food workers in California….thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems to me those businesses will just pass on those higher labor costs in the prices of their food and then the cycle begins all over again. Fast food preparation is unskilled labor.

I think it's a good thing. The whole thing about food businesses having thin margins and acting like they are all going to shut down tomorrow is an urban myth. If that were true, why would anyone even want to open a food establishment? But in reality, there's a new one opening every day! Pay your people a living wage. Increase the price and while you are at it, also get rid of tips to offset the price increase.

We will see the opening of more ghost kitchens that just deliver ready-made meals instead of serving fast food meals. People will get their fast food at supermarkets and big box stores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems to me those businesses will just pass on those higher labor costs in the prices of their food and then the cycle begins all over again. Fast food preparation is unskilled labor.

I think it's a good thing. The whole thing about food businesses having thin margins and acting like they are all going to shut down tomorrow is an urban myth. If that were true, why would anyone even want to open a food establishment? But in reality, there's a new one opening every day! Pay your people a living wage. Increase the price and while you are at it, also get rid of tips to offset the price increase.

There's a threshold where having a fast food business doesn't make sense.

https://abc30.com/fosters-freeze-store-closes-minimum-wage-fast-food-workers/14605463/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems to me those businesses will just pass on those higher labor costs in the prices of their food and then the cycle begins all over again. Fast food preparation is unskilled labor.

I think it's a good thing. The whole thing about food businesses having thin margins and acting like they are all going to shut down tomorrow is an urban myth. If that were true, why would anyone even want to open a food establishment? But in reality, there's a new one opening every day! Pay your people a living wage. Increase the price and while you are at it, also get rid of tips to offset the price increase.

There's a threshold where having a fast food business doesn't make sense.

https://abc30.com/fosters-freeze-store-closes-minimum-wage-fast-food-workers/14605463/

and other businesses that cut down hours

https://www.yahoo.com/news/lemoore-fosters-freeze-shuts-down-061322997.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I made $4.25 minimum wage in CA in 1994. Have things gone up 5X in price since then? Probably.

$4.25 in 1994 would be equivalent to $8.94 today.

But thirty years ago no one thought you should be able to support a family by working at McDonalds.

Not everyone can afford college. Not everyone is smart enough to go to college. Working in fast food is honest work. Only idiots like you knock it down and make fun of it. I'm glad they are making a living wage since the workforce has changed into one that requires it. If they could only hire HS kids to work 10 hour a week for $10/hour, I'm sure they would.

[Anonymous]

I guess no one is bothered that a McDonald's CEO made $17.8 million in 2022 (probably over 20 million in 2024) but here you are bitc51ng about some poor soul making $20/hour. I'm sure he worked THAT much harder than the people he employs.

[Anonymous]

If it stops tipping I am all for it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I am in CA also. Do they even hire teens anymore? Most fast food workers I see are grown a** men and women who barely speak any English.
Were all the nice good looking teens?!

The teens work at Chick-fil-A.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems to me those businesses will just pass on those higher labor costs in the prices of their food and then the cycle begins all over again. Fast food preparation is unskilled labor.

Not a bad thing to reduce fast food consumption. And there's enough room in the labor market that relatively unskilled labor can get another job.
Then again I haven't eaten from a fast food restaurant in 30 years so my opinion doesn't really matter.

lol --- yes they will pass on and cut a little on jobs. But no higher prices are not a bar to fast food consumption.

[Anonymous]

The new law only applies to fast food chains that have more than 60 locations, so your local mom and pop restaurants won't be affected.

Large chains can adapt to this quickly by reducing staffing levels through the use of automation, AI, and mobile, online, and kiosk ordering. They can also close the dining room portion of their restaurants and go to a takeout only model, so no one is needed to clean and secure the dining room. The restaurant may also use AI to predict when the restaurant is busiest and staff according to the demand. They may decide to shorten their operating hours to save on labor costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems to me those businesses will just pass on those higher labor costs in the prices of their food and then the cycle begins all over again. Fast food preparation is unskilled labor.

It’s unskilled labor that’s why minimum wage will be set at $20 for California. Low enough based on the skill needed for the job, high enough for people to take and keep the jobs.

It’s been too long that fast food conglomerates have gotten away with advertised 99 cent burgers and paid workers $6 an hour. Raise the prices of the food. Plus do you really want an underpaid worker who has only been there a week and isn’t planning to stay so there’s a constant turnover of workers who have incentive to stay?

I didn’t see anywhere where those employees were being forced to work for that pay. That’s their choice. If they all move on then the business owners will have to raise wages to keep workers. It’s called capitalism.

Great, let’s bring back child labor, no overtime, health and safety rules. Why even have a minimum wage?

I think child labor, relaxing health and safety rules and no minimum wage are good. Employers do need to pay overtime though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess no one is bothered that a McDonald's CEO made $17.8 million in 2022 (probably over 20 million in 2024) but here you are bitc51ng about some poor soul making $20/hour. I'm sure he worked THAT much harder than the people he employs.

I bet he did. Working fast food isn't exactly hard work. You're busy and on your feet, but it's not hard. And then you go home after your shift. The McDonald's CEO is pretty much always working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:its crazy. I saw a sign at the safeway that they are paying $15 for starting pay....
MY first job was at Giant in Annadnale( H Mart took over that place now.) I was getting $1.40 an hour............................... They are making more in an two hours that I did in a week. I worked 20 hours a week. I was attending Annandale High School....

Are jealous because they are making more than you did?

[Anonymous]

I got paid minimum wage at 16 for my first fast food job in California in 1987 which was 3.35. I just plugged that into a calculator to see how much that is worth in today and it is $9.35. So how is it fast food workers are now getting paid $20? That is the equivalent of $41,000 a year.

A beginning teacher with a BA/BS and 30 units after their BA/BS (classes taken to get a teaching credential) in Davis, CA (Where UC Davis is located) makes $55,000 a year. Close to UC Santa Barbara is the town of Carpinteria (where Kevin Costner lives). A beginning teacher there makes $50,367.

It is ridiculous that someone who spent 5 years in college can make only $8-13,000 dollars more than someone who didn't graduate high school.

And there is a new health care worker $25 min wage that CA has also passed that will soon be in effect. Health care worker covers hospital gift shop worker, custodian, person answering phones in a hospital or dialysis clinic, etc. That is $52,000 a year.

So if the gift shop worker and person working in the laundry room and person answering the phone who don't need a high school diploma are getting a min of $25, someone who has a high school diploma with more training like an EMT who is now getting $25 needs to get paid more, then the LVN says they have more training than the EMT and should get paid more.

So now the people who have middle income wages who have no min. wage guarantee are getting screwed. Their health care and food is more expensive but they aren't getting paid more. It doesn't make sense that the very rich are getting paid so much more than before and the working poor are getting paid more but middle income workers in CA are really wondering who cares about them. They earned college degrees and many have loans since college wasn't free like it is for low income families. They can't afford to buy a house in CA, they can't save for their kids to go to college, they pay a lot in state taxes yet don't receive very much in return.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The new law only applies to fast food chains that have more than 60 locations, so your local mom and pop restaurants won't be affected.

Large chains can adapt to this quickly by reducing staffing levels through the use of automation, AI, and mobile, online, and kiosk ordering. They can also close the dining room portion of their restaurants and go to a takeout only model, so no one is needed to clean and secure the dining room. The restaurant may also use AI to predict when the restaurant is busiest and staff according to the demand. They may decide to shorten their operating hours to save on labor costs.

The problem with this conclusion is the mom & pops still have to compete for mostly the same labor pool. The better employees will drift to the $20/hr places if, as you point out, they even have any slots because their hours have been cut or the job has been outright replaced by some thing else (robot, AI).

But to those who want to compare it to what they made back-in-the-day, you should probably reflect on the real standard of cost/equivalency. How long did you have to work to buy the product/service you made/did? Also, do you consistently vote 'no' on executive compensation plans when you get stock proxy notices?

I said when the Fight for $15 was a thing, it was only the beginning. I just hope when those that voted for the ones who voted for the "raise" do leave CA, that they don't bring that same mentality when they locust-land someplace else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m in CA. It’ll be a bonanza for our teenagers with part-time jobs! They make good money!

Wow…a Californian posting on DCUM. How’s those 14% state income taxes you voted for ?

How does paying for college feel?