California’s fast-food workers are feeling the pinch as Governor Gavin Newsom’s $20 per hour minimum wage law kicks in, hitting eateries with at least 60 outlets nationwide – except those who bake their bread in-house.

Signed into law as AB 1228, the measure not only ups the pay scale but also creates a “Fast Food Council,” composed of worker and employer reps, with the power to greenlight even more pay hikes and dictate labor conditions.

While the Golden State’s other workers labor under a $15.50 per hour minimum wage, one of the nation’s highest, the federal floor remains stuck at $7.25 per hour – a figure unchanged since the Obama era.

As the dust settles, it’s clear this move spells trouble for the struggling restaurant industry. Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher minced no words, telling FOX Business, “Restaurants are struggling to stay above water, and Democrats just threw them an anvil.

We warned Democrats this new mandate would cost jobs. They ignored us, and here we are with the highest unemployment rate in the country poised to get even worse.”