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McDonald's president Joe Erlinger slammed a California fast food law that would increase wages for workers up to $22 an hour in January. In 2022, Erlinger made $7.4 million, Insider reported.
Erlinger's letter harped on the effects higher wages would have on prices in California, and on the impact the law could have on small businesses.
"Whether you're a lawmaker, a business owner or leader, or an everyday voter, one thing is clear: California has become a dramatic case study of putting bad politics over good policy," Erlinger wrote.
Dubbed the FAST Act, the union-backed bill was signed into law last year — but McDonald's and other chains like Chipotle lobbied for a referendum on the bill. That referendum vote will take place in 2024, and the law cannot go into effect until after the vote.
In his open letter, Erlinger bashed unionization in the service industry, writing that organizing has failed to grow organically in sectors like retail and fast food.
"Simply put, organized labor hasn't been successful going through the front door — giving everyday workers the ability to choose whether they want a union," Erlinger wrote. "So it asked for a backdoor — pushing Sacramento lawmakers to introduce, pass and sign a bad policy that hurts small businesses, workers, and consumers."