SACRAMENTO, Calif. (TBEN) — A voter initiative that would overturn a California law aimed at raising wages and improving working conditions for fast food workers has qualified for next year’s vote, authorities said Tuesday.
The referendum raised more than 623,000 valid voter signatures for inclusion on the November 5, 2024 election ballot, Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber announced.
The first law of its kind, passed last year, establishes a 10-member council with the power to set minimum wages, hours and working conditions standards for California’s fast food workers. It would affect some 550,000 workers statewide.
Two industry groups, the International Franchise Association and the National Restaurant Association, promoted the referendum that would leave its fate to voters.
On December 30, a Sacramento County Superior Court judge temporarily blocked the state from enforcing the law while signatures on ballots were counted and verified.
The measure would have boosted employee wages to as much as $22 an hour by the end of this year for chains like McDonald’s and Starbucks with 100 or more locations nationwide.
The current minimum wage in California for all workers is $15.50 per hour.
