(ProsperNews.net) – Left-wing California Rep. Barbara Lee has called for the state minimum wage to rise to $50 an hour. Lee made the call as she campaigns to replace Senator Dianne Feinstein, who died last year, in the US Senate. During a debate with fellow candidates, Rep. Lee used the rising cost of living as justification for the increase, saying families earning $127,000 are barely able to get by. Lee said that she ran a business for 11 years and provided dozens of jobs, and she knows how important it is for companies to take care of their staff.
Other Democrats in the race, Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter, also support a wage increase, but believe $20 to $25 an hour is more realistic. The contest’s only Republican Steve Garvey, however, slammed the idea. “That’s going to increase costs for hard-working Californians,” he argued. Mr Garvey pointed to the impact of impending wage increases for fast food workers in the Golden State and said it had driven prices skyward.
Andrew Wiederhorn, chairman and founder of restaurant operator FAT Brands, agrees with Garvey and told Fox Business that “someone’s got to pay for it.” Wiederhorn said restaurant margins are not high enough to incorporate a raise to $20 an hour so that cost will be passed on to the consumer.
California decided to increase fast-food worker’s pay last year and it is due to take effect in April. Governor Gavin Newsom said the 500,000 fast-food employees in the state had fought for years for better pay and conditions, and he promised to give them a “seat at the table.” The Governor also promised to improve health and safety standards and said workers will be able to influence standards through the state’s Fast Food Council.
The Council will be able to formulate and develop rules and regulations, control wages until January 1, 2029, and will be accountable to Assemblymember Chris R. Holden. He said the proposals were the most “impactful” the county has ever seen.
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