In a 10-2 vote, Los Angeles City Council voted in favor of schedule stability and workers’ rights
The Los Angeles City Council voted to expand fast-food workplace protections to 500,000 Angelenos on Tuesday. The vote was 10-2 in favor of the changes, and still needs a final City Council vote to pass into law.
Under the proposal, workers would receive more predictable schedules, as well as at least 10 hours of rest between shifts. Should an employer schedule an employee with less than 10 hours between shifts, the worker would receive extra pay.
“Right now corporations have all the power and they’re using it to make record profits at the expense of working people,” said City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez. He headed the proposal with Councilman Curren Price in 2024. “This is about leveling the playing field and making sure workers have the information, the protections and the power to stand up for themselves on the job.”
The labor groups spearheading the new protections — Starbucks Workers United and the California Fast Food Workers Union — said that the unstable schedules in the fast-food industry cause difficulties with childcare, medical appointments, and regular daily living for workers.
The vote expands the Los Angeles Fair Work Week Ordinance, which provides employees at large retail businesses with more stable working hours. Currently, the ordinance does not apply to fast-food workers.
The proposal also includes paid “Know Your Rights” training for employees. Workers would learn about wage and hour laws, rest break rights, and other California Fast Food Council protections.
“We can pass strong labor laws, but if the workers don’t know what those laws mean, then we’re not really doing our job as a city,” Soto-Martínez commented.
Proponents of the vote cited about 91% of California fast-food workers experiencing some form of labor violation and 88% do not fully know their workplace rights. The council members debated the option of virtual rights training, but concluded that in-person sessions are necessary for workers to become familiar with their protections.
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“Workers need to be able to ask questions, share their experiences and practice how to respond to situations like wage theft, health and safety violations, harassment and retaliation,” Victor Tobar, communications director for Worker Empowerment Community Network–Los Angeles, added during Tuesday’s public comment session.
Some LA restaurant owners opposed the proposal, claiming the regulations would impose additional costs on their businesses.
“By mandating rights training by groups that are not neutral parties, the (proposed law) would not only duplicate existing law but also force neighborhood restaurants to pay thousands of dollars,” said the California Restaurant Association in a letter to the City Council, adding that “groups with ulterior motives can hold team members as a captive audience.”
Still, city officials are looking to implement the law for businesses that run two or more franchise locations beginning next April. Employers that operate a single location will have until October 2027 to comply.