The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced recently the launch of a new California Fast Food Workers Union, creating a labor union specifically for fast food workers less than two months before a $20/hour fast food minimum wage law comes into effect in the state.
“Led by Black and Latino cooks and cashiers, the California Fast Food Workers Union is setting a shining example of what is possible when workers step into their power,” said SEIU President Mary Kay Henry in a statement. “Today marks a major step forward for California fast-food workers and working people everywhere.”
Following the signing of the new $20 minimum wage for fast-food employees, multiple companies have already begun taking measures, according to media reports. Some, like Chipotle and McDonalds, have announced already raised prices before the wage raise date of April 1st. Others are investing in automated kiosks and other automated devices to help reduce the number of employees. Some stores outright closed. Most notable, however, has been the massive amount of layoffs. Already, over 1,200 Pizza Hut drivers have had announced layoffs, with drivers to be replaced by services such as DoorDash and Uber Eats in the coming months. Seeing signs of massive layoffs ahead, many workers have even transitioned out to other lines of work in anticipation.
The union does not have bargaining power, and many are predicting that few will actually join, as dues would likely be high.
The venture is a complete fake, a union in name only,” said Employment Policies Institute executive director Michael Saltsman. “It has no self-sustaining funding source, and no employer is obligated to bargain with it. Moreover, it has no apparent power beyond collecting feedback from the union’s existing supporters.”
“Yeah, they’re all cheering now,” Fast food consultant Amanda Hernandez added. “But this union can’t bargain. They can’t fight for the worker. They are pretty much dependent on the SEIU. This is really just showing off by the SEIU that they want to cover fast food workers more and more. They know a storm is coming with employers looking to get rid of or replace as many as possible. They’re seeing firings already, and they see the new minimum wage already starting to weaken considerably through all these exemption bills.”
“They made a job that was designed to be a part-time job for adults looking to make some extra money, teenagers getting their feet wet in real world work, and older adults looking for supplemental income to retirement to something now akin to a full-time job. We’ll be seeing a lot of workers go under the 30 hour mark to cut back on benefits too soon.”
