Californians to vote on overturning a new law that could raise fast-food worker wages

A California legislation looking for to extend wages and enhance working situations for fast-food staff has been put aside for now, after state officers stated an effort by main restaurant and enterprise commerce teams to overturn the legislation had certified as a measure on subsequent yr’s poll.

The referendum looking for to overturn Meeting Invoice 257 gathered ample legitimate voter signatures, the workplace of California’s Secretary of State Shirley Weber licensed Tuesday. The group of companies backing the hassle, referred to as the Save Native Eating places, had till Dec. 5 to submit roughly 623,000 California voter signatures. The proponents submitted greater than 1 million signatures, of which greater than 712,000 have been deemed to be legitimate, in accordance with the secretary of state’s workplace.

The announcement means the legislation, also referred to as the Quick Restoration Act, authorized final yr by the Legislature is suspended till California voters resolve on the November 2024 poll whether or not to repeal the legislation.

AB 257 sought to create a first-of-its-kind council of staff, companies, franchisees and authorities representatives with a mandate to set wages and different office requirements statewide.

Had the legislation gone into impact Jan. 1 as deliberate, the council would have had the authority to lift the minimal hourly wage for fast-food staff as excessive as $22 this yr.

Labor advocates stated the laws might rework collective bargaining, making a precedent within the U.S. for negotiating office requirements. The coalition of companies opposing the legislation, led by the Worldwide Franchise Assn. and the Nationwide Restaurant Assn., argued the legislation would saddle companies with larger labor prices and enhance meals costs.

Quick-food companies and enterprise commerce teams together with In-N-Out, Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, McDonald’s, Starbucks and the Nationwide Restaurant Assn. donated thousands and thousands to assist the referendum effort, in accordance with the nonpartisan Truthful Political Practices Fee.

Save Native Eating places launched its expensive signature-gathering marketing campaign to halt the legislation virtually instantly after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 257 into legislation on Labor Day.

The signature-gathering course of was fraught. Service Staff Worldwide Union California, which co-sponsored AB 257 and opposed the referendum marketing campaign, alleged signatures have been obtained fraudulently and filed complaints in October with the secretary of state and lawyer normal’s places of work urging motion.

Mary Kay Henry, president of Service Staff Worldwide Union, stated fast-food staff and the union have been resolved to maintain pushing AB 257. “No company is extra highly effective than half 1,000,000 staff becoming a member of collectively to demand a seat on the desk,” Henry stated in an emailed assertion.

Worldwide Franchise Assn. Chief Govt Matt Haller stated in an announcement: “Happily, now greater than 1 million Californians have spoken out to stop this misguided coverage from driving meals costs larger and destroying native companies and the roles they create.”

The Save Native Eating places coalition didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.