Fast-food chains claim raising the minimum wage ‘hurts everyone’. California workers disagree

After the state hourly minimum wage increased to $20 in April, CEOs warned of price rises and job cuts – yet staff say ‘that’s a lie’

Joe Erlinger did not mince his words. “This lopsided, hypocritical and ill-considered legislation hurts everyone,” the top McDonald’s executive declared in 2022, as California considered a landmark $20 hourly minimum wage for fast-food workers.

The state ignored such warnings, enforcing a pay rise for an estimated 500,000 people in California – home to some of lowest-paid staff in the US workforce – last April.

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