California’s Fast Food Council will be considering another hike in the minimum wage.
The council’s planning subcommittee voted on Wednesday to put the prospect of a cost-of-living wage increase on the agenda for the next meeting.
But the topic will be on the agenda as an informational and discussion-only item, for now. A date for the next meeting was not set, but it is expected to be in April or May.
The council was created by legislation that established a $20 per hour minimum wage for fast food workers of chain restaurants with 60 or more units. The bill, which went into effect April 1, also created the 11-member council (including two non-voting members), which has the power to develop workplace standards and regulate the fast-food industry, as well as vote for cost-of-living adjustments to the minimum wage of up to 3.5%, or the rate of inflation, annually.
A 3.5% increase in the current fast-food wage would increase it by 70 cents to $20.70.
A multitude of both restaurant operators and workers offered public comment before the subcommittee on Wednesday.
Restaurant operators pleaded for the council to hold off on further increases, with many saying they have been forced to raise menu prices, eliminate positions or cut hours for their workers after the minimum wage for fast-food workers increased 25% to $20 per hour last April.
Workers, meanwhile, shared how they were struggling to keep up with inflation, citing increases in grocery prices, rent and other costs.
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