Employment Policies Institute

$25 Federal Minimum Wage to Cost 5 Million Jobs, New Report Finds

August 20, 2026 11:28 amAugust 20, 2026 12:02 pm

The majority of research over three decades finds minimum wage increases reduce employment. Just look at California’s $20 per hour fast food minimum wage. In addition to the latest news that Kentucky Fried Chicken has permanently closed 44 restaurants across...

Newsom’s ‘First in the Nation’ Fast Food Council Hasn’t Met in Two Years Despite Million-Dollar Budget

July 13, 2026 11:18 amJuly 14, 2026 10:00 am

California’s much-hyped “first in the nation” Fast Food Council has achieved something truly impressive: it has managed to do next to nothing for nearly two full years while still cashing taxpayer checks. The council, tasked with “giving workers a voice”...

Gov. Newsom Touts Misleading UC Berkeley Study on California’s $20 Fast Food Wage

April 8, 2026 3:10 pmApril 8, 2026 3:20 pm

California has such an absurdly high cost of living that some misguided lawmakers think increasing the minimum wage will offset nearly $1 million median home prices, $7.00-per-gallon gas prices, and $500 – $1,000 monthly electricity bills. The minimum wage was...

California’s Fast Food Minimum Wage Continues to Bite Workers, Consumers and Owners

March 20, 2026 4:40 amMarch 20, 2026 4:41 am

California is reaching a grim two-year anniversary of the ill-advised $20 fast food minimum wage. AB 1228, California’s $20 wage law for fast food workers, cost non-tipped restaurant workers 250 hours of work annually, equating to up to 7 weeks...

Gavin Newsom’s Sunday Circuit on Affordability is Dishonest

February 23, 2026 12:26 pmFebruary 23, 2026 12:26 pm

California Governor Gavin Newsom was cornered by Dana Bash on CNN Sunday about California’s affordability crisis. She said she was out to dinner in Nashville and met a California couple who had moved to Tennessee because they could not afford...

New January Jobs Report Blew Away Expectations

February 11, 2026 12:15 pmFebruary 11, 2026 12:19 pm

The Trump economy is smashing expectations. The new jobs report shows private sector hiring is up and federal employment is now lower than at any time since 1966. The January jobs report blew away expectations. Even CNBC reported “U.S. payrolls...

Senator Ruben Gallego Introduces Bill to Hike Federal Minimum Wage to $20 by 2029

February 5, 2026 1:13 pmFebruary 5, 2026 1:18 pm

Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego announced Thursday that he has introduced legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $20 per hour by 2029, framing it as a necessary step to ensure “no one who works full time in this...