California fast food workers are fighting for the passage of a bill that would champion employees' power to negotiate wages while establishing working condition standards in the sector.

The California bill is known as the FAST Recovery Act or AB 257. It aims to create a statewide fast food sector council composed of workers, state regulators, franchises, and their parent companies, The Guardian reported.

The council would then set wages and other standards for the fast food industry while holding franchises and their parent corporations more accountable to labor laws.

California fast-food workers said that the legislation could be an instrument to fight low pay, poor working conditions, and lack of safety protections in the industry.

For so long, safety protections have been a problem in the sector, with workers saying the conditions have worsened during the pandemic.

Maria Yolanda Torres, who has worked at a Subway store in San Jose, California since May 2018, said they are essential workers, but they are not treated like that.

If there was a law protecting workers, Yolanda Torres noted that it had to be followed and applied.

The bill stated that the fast food industry has been "rife with abuse, low pay, few benefits, and minimal job security."

AB 257 further noted that California fast food workers are being subjected to high rates of employment violations, such as wage theft, sexual harassment, discrimination, as well as high health and safety risks, The Hill reported.

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California Fast Food Workers' Salary and Working Conditions

The average annual pay for fast food workers in California is $17,995 a year as of Feb. 22, 2022. It would be approximately $8.65 an hour, which is equivalent to $1,500 per month, according to the Zip Recruiter fact sheet.

Wages for fast food workers can be as high as $28,018 while being as low as $10,814. California ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for fast food job salaries. 

In addition, the state is not very active in the industry as a number of companies are currently not hiring. Meanwhile, the annual average cost of living in California is $46,636, with housing and utilities costs falling around $9,542 and health care services costing $7,638, according to a SoFi report.

Food and Beverages (non-restaurant) cost $3,630; gas and energy goods are worth $688; and all other personal expenditures cost $25,138.

California's 'Tiered' Minimum Wage

California has a tiered minimum wage. Employers with 25 employees or less are required to pay $14 an hour, while employers with 26 workers or more are required to pay $15 an hour.

Fast food workers are also reporting unsafe working conditions and other safety problems. Yolanda Torres said the owners did not impose COVID regulations or protect workers when customers refused to follow the workers.

She further noted that her sick pay did not reflect on her paycheck, and owners and managers refused to resolve the issue.

With her three co-workers at Subway, Yolanda Torres has filed a lawsuit in February, citing a wage theft complaint with the California department of labor.

The Subway workers also filed health complaints with CalOSHA alleging wage theft for a total of more than $41,000.

AB 257 will be the first of its kind measure in the country if it succeeds. It is currently awaiting a vote in California's Senate.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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