On Labor Day, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed into law the FAST Recovery Act, one of the most important pro-worker bills in decades. The new law has the potential to transform the fast-food industry—the quintessential low-wage, high-turnover sector—into an industry with decent jobs that pay well and offer good benefits. Perhaps even more importantly, the law develops a model that empowers workers and has the potential to remake low-wage work in industries around the country.
The FAST Recovery Act gives workers a seat at the table with their bosses—both franchisees and brand-name franchisors—as well as with government regulators in a council that will help set workplace standards on issues such as wages, safety and training. This will improve the jobs of hundreds of thousands of fast-food workers in California – a disproportionately female and Hispanic workforce – and create a path for change in other industries.
The above excerpt was originally published in Route Fifty.
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