California fast food workers will be paid at least $20 per hour next year under a new law signed Thursday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

When it takes effect on April 1, fast food workers in the state will have among the highest minimum wages in the country, according to data compiled by the University of California-Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education. The state’s minimum wage for all other workers is at $15.50 per hour and is already among the highest in the nation.

Newsom’s signature on Thursday reflects the power and influence of labor unions in the nation’s most populous state, which have worked to organize fast food workers in an attempt to improve their wages and working conditions.

    • twopi@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      If it’s better for customers and workers what’s the problem (from a capitalist perspective)?

      Do you want to punish success?

      If small businesses become successful and grow do you want to purposefully stop them?

      I always ask what is the difference between a small and big business and nobody gives a good answer.

      Small business is always used as a shield to attack workers.

      Genuinely, if they don’t offer a innovative product, what’s the point of “small business”? What’s the point of a “small business” barber/retail store/grocer/etc. besides better prices?

      When does a “small business” become a “big business”? And should we stop that from happening?

      It seems to me that “small business” is just entitled people. If those same people became a “big business” they would want to crush their competition (i.e. “small business”) look at Bill Gates/Steve Jobs against IBM.

      The only thing that “small business” people want is for them to be the owner of a “big business”. That’s it.

      If you actually care about distribution of ownership and wealth. You’d advocate for co-operatives, ESOPs and distributed ownership structures. Otherwise I don’t care.

      • Neve8028@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        The issue is that this inevitably leads to monopolization. When a large business is able to keep competitors out of the market, they eventually are able to raise prices without any competition which is drastically worse for consumers. There are many reasons why monopolies have historically been broken by the government and why the government should continue doing so. It’s not for anyone’s best interest other than the shareholders.

        • twopi@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          How did the big business become a big business?

          I have literally seen a small business expand beyond my city and become regional over a couple decades. And probably will try to be national chains.

          From a capitalist perspective. What’s bad about monopolization? For big businesses to be big business they need to have success. Why do you want to break success? Why do you want to pick winners and losers?

          I don’t believe in any of that. I prefer distributed ownership and benefits.

          If the consumers own their own stores through a consumer cooperative than they can set the prices for themselves. And hence don’t need “competition”. And since the shareholders would be the members (i.e. the consumers), in a consumer cooperative, then that means they’ll benefit. No need to have any billionaire tyrant either local nor from a big box store.

          • Neve8028@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            From a capitalist perspective, there’s nothing wrong with monopolization. The issue is with the capitalist perspective, itself.

            I don’t believe in any of that. I prefer distributed ownership and benefits.

            That’s good. I thought I was debating some free market psycho. I think we agree on this.