By Angelica Hernandez, McDonald's Crew Trainer in Monterey Park, CA with Fight for a Union and the California Fast Food Workers Union
In April of 2024, California made history by raising the fast-food minimum wage to $20/hour. For over half a million workers, this increase has been a game-changer — helping folks pay rent, put food on the table, and fuel local economies.
The results are in: This wage increase is a success. Studies from UC Berkeley and Harvard confirm that workers’ wages are up, employment remains steady, and price hikes insignificant.
It's clear that higher wages are good for the economy – and for human beings. But that hasn't stopped CEOs and corporations from trying to downplay these gains and spread misinformation. That's because they don't care about workers. They only care about their bottom line. Instead of learning from minimum wage successes, corporations and anti-worker politicians continue to bemoan raising the wage.
A 2025 Executive Order took away a $15 minimum wage for federal contractors. More than 390,000 hard-working federal contract workers will now struggle to make ends meet — all while the costs of food and rent go up.
I can tell you firsthand how higher wages change lives.
Politicians should support WORKERS and stand behind legislation like the one that gave me a $20/hr wage in California, or the Raise the Wage Act, which was reintroduced in Congress.
Good for the economy AND good for workers?
Yes, higher wages are a no-brainer.
TAKE ACTION: Call on lawmakers to raise wages, not cut them!
