A wealthy campaign donor of Gavin Newsom said the restaurants he owns will start paying workers at least $20 an hour on April 1 after controversy over whether a new state minimum wage law for fast …
A Panera Bread logo is attached to the outside of a Panera Bread restaurant location, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Westwood, Mass. Greg Flynn, a wealthy campaign donor of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, said the Panera Bread restaurants he owns will start paying workers at least $20 an hour on April 1 after controversy over whether a new state minimum wage law for fast food workers applies to his businesses.
“At Flynn Group, we are in the people business and believe our people are our most valuable assets,” Flynn said. “Our goal is to attract and retain the best team members to deliver the restaurant experience our guests know and love.” Chris Micheli, a California lobbyist and adjunct professor of law at McGeorge School of Law, said Flynn likely would have had a good case had he chose to challenge the Newsom administration’s interpretation of the law. The law defines what a fast-food restaurant is, and says it is not an establishment that “operates a bakery that produces for sale on the establishment’s premises bread.”
As for which businesses would be exempt from the law, Newsom’s office said the newly created Fast Food Council “may develop regulations and the Labor Commissioner has enforcement authority over individual claims based on the facts of individual cases.”Last week, Flynn denied asking for an exemption or “special considerations.” He said he did participate in a group meeting with some of Newsom’s staff and other restaurant owners.
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