Over the past two years, global conditions have put workers’ rights at the forefront of the news cycle. Workers around the world have made it clear that they will no longer stand for poor conditions and pay.
Nowhere has this been more clear than in California. Fast food workers statewide have faced high mortality rates from the COVID-19 pandemic, and shaky work schedules as restrictions on different activities have changed. This is on top of stagnating wages, skyrocketing costs of living, and generally poor working conditions that employees have been fighting for years.
The new legislation would change this. The Fast Recovery Act, or AB 257, is a new bill brought before the California Assembly. The bill could dramatically improve conditions for fast food workers around the state. Here’s what the Fast Recovery Act would do and what it could mean for workers like yourself.
What Is the Fast Recovery Act?
AB 257 is a new bill that’s the first of its kind. Should it pass into law, the bill would require California to set up an 11-seat advisory council for the fast food industry, with seats appointed by legislators and the governor. The council would be responsible for reviewing and creating workplace standards in the industry. In particular, the board would make decisions regarding:
- Wages
- Working conditions
- Training
- Safety
The bill would also give every city or county with more than 200,000 people permission to set up local councils for fast food that would work in conjunction with the state council. Both local and state boards would consist of franchisers, restaurant owners, and food workers to ensure that everyone gets an equal seat at the table.
Goals of the Fast Recovery Act
The primary goal of the Act is to give fast food workers a state-sanctioned voice in determining their working conditions. Fast food workers suffer from the fragmentary nature of their work, making it hard to organize and fight for their rights. Should the Fast Recovery Act pass, it would make it significantly easier for employees in this sector to have their voices heard and fight back against unsafe and unfair working conditions.
However, workers aren’t the only thing the bill would affect. It would also:
- Require franchisers to verify all franchisees meet worker, employment, and health and safety laws.
- Make franchisers jointly and separately liable for violations of their franchisees.
- Void any indemnification clauses between franchisers and franchisees, giving franchise owners more freedom to force franchisers to assist them in following state laws.
These new rules would make it significantly harder for franchisers to put all the work of complying with state laws on franchisees. Franchise companies would be required to assist individual locations with compliance issues or face significant legal penalties.
That’s good news for both workers and franchisees. The employees will have greater recourse if they’re being forced into unsafe conditions. Meanwhile, franchisees will have more resources to keep their businesses running safely and protect their employees.
Why the Fast Recovery Act Stands Out
This isn’t the first time workers have come together to improve their working conditions. However, most previous worker-driven actions have been based around unions. By nature, a union is an external organization that isn’t directly connected to the government. While there’s plenty of legislation surrounding unions, they aren’t enshrined in actual government organizations.
The Fast Act is unique because it would take some of the most essential elements of unions and make them a part of the regulatory process. Instead of requiring individual union chapters to convince their local employers to sit down at the table, the Act would create a committee where everyone has a seat. The workers will have the same standing as the employers, and regular meetings and negotiations would be mandatory. Essentially, the Fast Recovery Act would mandate the equivalent of union meetings and even the playing field for atomized fast food workers.
What the Act Would Mean for You
The Fast Recovery Act is intended to help all workers in the fast food industry. If you’re a fast food worker, this bill could dramatically improve your employment. Some of the greatest benefits workers will experience include:
- More negotiating power for wage and benefit increases: The committee formed by AB 257 will give people like you a voice in new legislation and industry standards, making it easier to campaign for necessary wage increases and fight against wage fraud.
- More cohesive industry standards in health and safety: Having a single advisory committee will simplify the process of setting health and safety standards throughout California and give workers more opportunities to fight for safer conditions.
- Better working conditions: The Act actively incentivizes franchisers to enforce employment and health and safety laws for their franchisees, making it more likely that individual workers have a safe environment.
- More options if legal rights are being violated: If a company does violate your rights as a worker, you’ll be able to pursue both the owner of your specific workplace and the franchiser for damages.
AB 257 would make it harder for your employer to violate your rights and give you more opportunities to demand better treatment. Should it pass, the next several years will see dramatic improvements for workers around the state as companies either comply with the law or face significant lawsuits from employees with new options.
Stand Up for Your Rights as an Employee
While the Fast Recovery Act could change lives, it hasn’t passed yet. Still, you have options if you’re suffering from illegal working conditions. It is designed to make it easier to enforce employment laws already in place. If your rights are being violated, you can take legal action whether or not the Act passes.
The first step to fighting for better working conditions is scheduling your consultation with an experienced employment law attorney. Qualified employment lawyers have the knowledge and expertise to help you confront your employer and demand better conditions. The experts at the Law Offices of Todd M. Friedman, P.C., are prepared to help you fight for the working conditions you deserve.
