California Fast-Food Workers To Get Huge Pay Raises, Will Make More Than Preschool Teachers

Minimum wage for California fast-food workers is going up in 2024 and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom couldn't be happier.

"This is a big deal," the governor said Thursday as the state announced the minimum wage for the industry will go up to $20 an hour, up from $15.50, which will remain the minimum wage for all other workers. In an earlier version of the bill Newsom signed Thursday, workers had asked for $22 an hour.

In return for the $20 wage, the labor unions have agreed to pull a workers' wage referendum from the 2024 ballot. Meanwhile, as OutKick reported a year ago, Chipotle has tested a robotic chip maker called "Chippy" who would replace workers in charge of making the chips you order.

Today's news also sets the stage for a California fast food council that could raise the $20 minimum wage each year by 3.5% all the way up to 2029.

You're nuts if you think the publicly traded companies are taking this news in stride. McDonald's has been working for years on AI technology to make ordering easier and require fewer workers. Taco Bell is working on its drive-thru of the future that won't include human interaction.

Good times.

According to Indeed.com's salary tracker app, California burger flippers will now make, on average, more than California preschool teachers.

And if the fast-food council continues to raise the fast-food minimum through 2029, it's entirely possible to see a scenario where some California kindergarten teachers make less than some dweeb slinging Doritos Locos at Taco Bell, based on Indeed's salary tracker.

Let's see how this plays out, America.