Important Takeaways:

• A new law in California will raise the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 per hour next year, an acknowledgment from the state’s Democratic leaders that most of the often-overlooked workforce are the primary earners for their low-income households.
• When it takes effect on April 1, fast food workers in California will have the highest guaranteed base salary in the industry.
• The state’s minimum wage for all other workers — $15.50 per hour — is already among the highest in the United States.
• Newsom’s signature reflects the power and influence of labor unions in the nation’s most populous state
• Unions have played a big part in Newsom’s political rise in California, offering a reliable source of campaign cash.
• Right now, California’s fast food workers earn an average of $16.60 per hour, or just over $34,000 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the California Poverty Measure for a family of four
• The new $20 minimum wage is just a starting point. The law creates a Fast Food Council that has the power to increase that wage each year through 2029 by 3.5%

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