Fast-Food Industry, California Lawmakers Reach Agreement on Wage Increases, Regulations

Advocates for California’s fast-food restaurants have reached an agreement with lawmakers and union leaders to raise the starting wage at the restaurants to $20 per hour and to create a fast-food council that can recommend other industry changes.

While the restaurant advocates acknowledge the concessions will have “economic consequences” for businesses and consumers, they say the agreement spares the industry from the worst policy changes that union leaders and California Democrats sought to impose.

Late last year, the industry leaders in the state gathered enough signatures for a ballot initiative...