A major California McDonald’s franchisee is speaking out against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) new minimum wage law that will force fast food businesses to pay workers at least $20 per hour, saying menu items would become “unaffordable” if scaled to the increased wages.
Kerri Harper-Howie, a Los Angeles-based franchisee who owns 21 McDonald’s locations across the state with her sister, says her profits will tank while trying to keep up with the guidelines from the California Fast Food Council, which Newsom created in 2023.
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Harper-Howie, who employs more than 1,000 people across the state, told KTLA 5 that Assembly Bill 1228 does not make economic sense for workers or business owners.
“We, as business owners, are not opposed to minimum wage increases,” she explained, with the outlet noting that many of her restaurants are located in low-income cities, such as Compton and Inglewood.