Anyone who has ever worked in fast food doesn’t need to be told that it isn’t the best paying job on the market. Customer service jobs are typically a rough gig for a multitude of reasons, they are also typically the plight of young people.
As a way to address this, in September of 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom approved AB 1228; a bill that will bring the minimum wage for fast food workers up to $20 an hour.
The bill will go into effect in April 2024.
“I feel like we do a lot,” said Allison Ignacio, a nursing major at Delta College, who currently works as a certified nursing assistant but before that she spent two years working at Starbucks.
“It’s stressful dealing with the customers and it was just a lot for only getting paid minimum wage,” Ignacio said.
The pay raise provides the opportunity for people to make a little bit more money. Currently California’s minimum wage is $16 an hour, it is the second highest minimum wage in the country.
“I know in California we get paid a lot more than other states but if you look at what we have to pay for and how much everything costs out here we could’ve been compensated more for it,” Ignacio said.
In the case of someone who already has a career, now the option to make some extra cash on the side comes with better pay for those considering re-entering service work.
“I’ve considered going back because of the $20. I feel like I’m getting paid the same at the job that I do now and doing way more work so I would consider going back,” Ignacio said.
The raise to $20 could prove to be very helpful to college students, students such as Adrian Nonato who’s attending Delta and is currently working at Starbucks.
Nonato lives at home with his parents and tries to help out financially where he can.
“I feel like it would help me be able to help my parents out at home cause it’s kind of harsh for them to be the main source of income,” Nonato said.
Not everyone is thrilled about the upcoming raise. Brandon Tran, a Delta College student who has aspirations of being a radiology tech has some concerns that the increase in pay will mean a decrease in people as companies try to make up the gap.
“They’ve talked about cutting people. They’re trying to cut out the older people that have been there longer and replace them with newer people so that our wages won’t go up further than $20,” Tran said.
Tran’s worries are understandable, with wages for workers going up it only makes sense that these fast food chains will look to recuperate their losses somehow. This raises the question of the raise’s true value.
“If you don’t get hours then a raise is pointless. I’d rather be at a $15 an hour job with good hours and healthy management than an emotionally draining environment with no hours and higher pay,” Tran said.
This raise to $20 an hour may just be temporary relief for fast food workers, rather than a long-term solution for fast food workers financially. Though the raise may prove to be useful for new employees, does this raise have the best interests for existing workers?
“If people are constantly trying to apply the moment the raise is implemented then it will make it harder for existing employees to get hours because hours are gonna have to be used on new employees to train them. People that actually need the money that are already working there for an extended period of time are gonna lose out on hours so it’s just gonna make it harder for existing fast food employees,” Tran said.
