California makes a ham-handed attempt to regulate the fast-food industry
California has a habit of pursuing well-meaning policy goals in ham-handed ways. Unfortunately, its new law to regulate the fast-food industry appears to fit the trend. On Labor Day, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill expanding protections for fast-food workers. The Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act responds to a real issue: California’s fast-food workers have long reported experiencing retaliation, wage theft and other unacceptable working conditions. A research brief released last month from the University of California at San Francisco and Harvard’s Shift Project found that these employees earn $3 per hour less on average than workers in other parts of the service sector. This margin adds up to more than $6,000 a year, a significant