California Panera franchisee will raise minimum wage to $20 after political firestorm over minimum wage carveout
CNN
A Panera Bread franchise owner in California said he will raise the minimum wage for his employees after accusations he benefited from ties to the state’s governor to avoid hiking pay.
A Panera Bread franchise owner in California said he will raise the minimum wage for his employees after accusations he benefited from ties to the state’s governor to avoid hiking pay. A new state minimum wage law exempts certain businesses that make and sell bread – a carveout that critics contended benefited Greg Flynn, a billionaire Panera franchise owner who attended high school with Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom and who has donated to the governor’s campaign in the past. The law, which takes effect on April 1, raises the minimum wage from $16 per hour to $20 for all fast food workers — except those working in businesses that produce and sell bread as a standalone menu item. It’s that exception that’s driving the political accusations. Both men have denied Flynn’s influence over the new law. On Tuesday, Flynn told CNN that he has decided to raise the minimum pre-tip wage at all of his Panera Bread locations to $20 per hour, regardless of whether his fast-casual bakeries are exempt from the new minimum wage law or not. “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.”
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told lawmakers in a Congressional hearing last January that it didn’t make sense for his platforms to verify how old their users are in order to serve them age-appropriate experiences. Instead, that responsibility should lie with app stores, he said.
Former Barclays boss Jes Staley had sex with a member of serial pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s staff, the banker said in court as he appeals against a proposed financial services ban.
It started with tariffs, but the trade war is quickly escalating beyond import taxes into a broader tit-for-tat battle.
Walmart is getting caught in the middle of an escalating trade war between the United States and China.
Intel has named a new chief executive, as the chipmaking giant attempts to recover from several bruising years that saw the one-time industry leader fall behind most of its rivals.
Two months ago, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon defended President Donald Trump’s tariff policy with a curt message: “Get over it.” But with stock markets lower and cracks appearing to form in the US economy, Dimon himself might not be over it.
The US Federal Trade Commission asked a federal court in Seattle on Wednesday to delay a September trial in its case alleging Amazon misled consumers over its Prime subscription service, citing “severe resource shortfalls in terms of both money and personnel.”
There may be some cracks forming in the egg market.
Ruth Marcus, who recently resigned as a Washington Post columnist after four decades, said she parted ways with the paper following a spiked opinion piece on the paper’s billionaire owner because her job is to tell readers “what I think, not what Jeff Bezos thinks I should think.”
CNN is tracking price trends for various household staples each month as new factors threaten to increase costs.
Inflation slowed in February for the first time in four months, but that progress may be short lived as President Donald Trump ramps up his trade war, which threatens to increase prices for Americans.
With his chaotic trade policy, President Donald Trump is digging himself into an economic and political hole so deep, it may prove impossible to climb out.
American consumers – and their wallets – are the engine of the economy. But they’re now showing the strain of inflation, President Donald Trump’s tariffs and a stock market plunge.