Rise in minimum wage to leave some Pizza Hut delivery drivers jobless
PORTERVILLE, Calif. (KMPH) — Delivery drivers with Pizza Hut locations in the Central San Joaquin Valley say they will no longer have a job starting next year.
Southern PacPizza, LLC, which operates Pizza Hut franchises in Central California, Southern Oregon and the Reno-Tahoe area, has decided to permanently cut delivery driver positions because of the rise in the minimum wage in California to $20, starting in April 2024.
"I feel like it's a big guy picking on the little guy," said Pizza Hut delivery driver Marvin Lopez Rangel, who says he learned of the cuts six days before Christmas.
The employees were told many won't have a job starting February 16, 2024.
They make billions of dollars easily in profits, and for them not to want to pay their workers a living wage and just to fire them across the board is really... disrespectful to say the least," said Lopez-Rangel.Lopez Rangel said he has been working for Pizza Hut for almost five years, and was told the company projects it will save money by using DoorDash drivers, instead.
"When they need you the most is when they want you, but now it looks like now that they can save $3," he said. "They want to get rid of the drivers instead of having some compassion and just say, 'Hey, you know what, we'll pay you guys an extra $2 or $3 or whatever."
When he came to work Tuesday morning, he was handed a letter and an unemployment packet by his district manager stating, "A business decision has been made to eliminate the delivery driver position at this location."
In a time right now where we can't really afford to have our wages cut or losing a job. It's really the worst time right now and right before a couple of days before Christmas," said Lopez-Rangel.Lopez-Rangel says he makes $15.50 an hour.
"The part that hurts me the most is not me losing income, it's really the people with families, with a lot of kids and responsibilities that are losing their income and potentially their only income," he said.
Now, he's just hoping the Pizza Hut franchisee might change its mind.
I hope Pizza Hut sees this and comes to their senses and says, 'Hey, you know what? We're going to put people before the profits.FOX26 did reach out to Pizza Hut for comment but we have yet to hear back.
Lopez-Rangel said the company did not offer any severance for employees who will be laid off and only told them they can apply for unemployment in February.
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