McDonald's employees could receive minimum wage increases, if the U.S. government approves a piece of legislation.
According to The Chicago Tribune, McDonald's CEO Don Thompson would support U.S. president Barack Obama's $10.10 an hour minimum wage increase from the current $7.25 an hour McDonald's workers are paid.
The leader announced the news at a talk at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, according to The Tribune.
"You know, our franchisees look at me when I say this and they start to worry: 'Don, don't you say it. Don't you say we support $10.10.' I will tell you we will support legislation that moves forward," Thompson told attendees.
A McDonald's spokeswoman told the the Huffington Post that Thompson's statement follows the fast food giant's beliefs about worker pay.
"What Don Thompson said at Kellogg reflects our existing position on this important and evolving issue: an increase in the minimum wage would primarily affect McDonald's independent franchisees, who would have to factor into their business models the additional expenses and the potential impact on prices and hiring decisions," Heidi Barker told the Huffington Post. "As such, McDonald's, and our independent franchisees believe that any increase should be implemented over time so that the impact on small and medium business owners is manageable. Additionally, we believe that any increase needs to be considered in a broad context, one that considers, for example, the impact of the Affordable Care Act and its definition of 'full time' employment, as well as the treatment, from a tax perspective, of investments made by businesses owners."
According to USA Today, Over 2,000 fast food workers zeroed in on McDonald's headquarters May 21, 2014, rallying to fight for the right to unionize and earn $15 an hour wages. The demonstration came one day before the company's annual shareholder meeting May 22.
According to Reuters, Republicans did not accept the legislation April 30, 2014.
