The California state Senate is scheduled to take up a bill that would potentially create a new layer of regulation for working conditions in fast food restaurants.
Called the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act, or FAST Recovery Act, Assembly Bill 257 would create a Fast Food Sector Council within the state’s Department of Industrial Relations. Comprised of 11 members appointed by the governor, the council would set minimum standards on wages, working hours, health and safety and other issues for workers in quick-service restaurants across the state.
Working conditions for hourly restaurant workers in fast food have been the subject of rallies and protests for months organized by the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, and the advocacy group Fight for $15 and a Union.
Among the complaints are wage theft, threats of retaliation and intimidation, and unsafe working conditions — such as inadequate protections from COVID or working in restaurants without air conditioning during heat waves, for example.
“Every single day, California’s fast-food industry deepens inequality in our state and drives a race to the bottom in our economy,” said David Huerta, president of SEIU California and SEIU-United Service Worker West, in a statement.
“Right now, instead of holding fast-food corporations accountable for their low pay and atrocious conditions, California is putting taxpayers on the hook to help cooks and cashiers survive. Until we fix this backwards situation, half a million working Californians will never be able to truly thrive.”
The California Restaurant Association, however, has opposed the FAST Recovery Act, saying union leaders are pushing a false narrative to win support for a bill that will ultimately raise menu prices.
Opponents of the bill also note that California already has rigorous worker protections, and a better approach would be providing resources to the state labor department to enforce existing regulations.
