The Truth About California’s Fast Food $20 Per Hour Wage Law

The Workplace MinuteWelcome to the Workplace Minute, brought to you by H3 HR Advisors. Your quick-hit version of the HR Happy Hour Podcast, where Steve Boese shares the latest in Human Resources, HR tech, workplace trends, and more—all in just a few minutes. Tune in and stay on top of what’s shaping the workplace today!In April 2024, California raised the minimum wage for many fast food workers to $20 per hour—sparking intense debate and bold predictions about job losses, rising prices, and restaurant closures.Now, more than a year later, we have real data to evaluate what actually happened.In this episode of the Workplace Minute, Steve breaks down the origins of the law, the political battle behind it, and most importantly, the evidence on its real-world impact.Did jobs disappear? Did prices surge? Or did the outcomes look very different than expected?This episode explores what the data shows and what it means for how we think about wages, work, and the value of labor in today’s economy.To listen to the Workplace Minute powered by H3 HR Advisors on Amazon Alexa – add the Workplace Minute by H3 HR Advisors skill to your Amazon Echo device’s Flash Briefing or Daily News Update.NEW: Download the H3 HR Advisors 2026 Workplace Trends Report hereThe HR Happy Hour Network is sponsored by Workhuman – The future of HR has arrived. Will you – and your company – be a part of it? Learn about Human Intelligence at Workhuman.com and join their force for good.