McDonald’s boosting pay for employees at company-owned restaurants

McDonald’s announced Thursday that over the next several months it will be boosting pay for employees at company-owned restaurants, which account for approximately 650 of its nearly 14,000 U.S. locations.

Amid a labor shortage, McDonald’s has decided to increase wages by 10 percent over the next couple of months for more than 36,000 employees, the fast food giant said in a press release. 

“These increases, which have already begun, will be rolled out over the next several months and include shifting the entry level range for crew to at least $11 — $17 an hour, and the starting range for shift managers to at least $15 — $20 an hour based on restaurant location,” the press release states.

The increase in wages comes as activists and lawmakers fight for a $15 federal minimum wage to be implemented.

McDonald’s said Thursday that its average minimum wage should reach $15 by 2024, with some stores already hitting that goal.

Fight for $15, a group demanding a nationwide $15 minimum wage, a St. Louis McDonald’s worker and union leader Doneshia Babbitt released a statement after McDonald’s announcement condemning the restaurant chain for not implementing a $15 minimum wage at all stores immediately.

“That’s why we’re going on strike in 15 cities next Wednesday, May 19, the day before McDonald’s annual shareholders meeting, to demand $15/hr for every worker in every McDonald’s restaurant,” their statement reads. 

Along with the increase in wages, McDonald’s is planning on hiring 10,000 more employees the next three months as summer comes along and coronavirus restrictions lift allowing the restaurants to reopen the dining rooms. 

“Our first value is taking care of our people, and today we are rewarding our hardworking employees in McDonald-owned restaurants for serving our communities,” said Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s in the U.S. “These actions further our commitment to offering one of the leading pay and benefits packages in the industry.”

Updated at 11:27 a.m.