More pay, new benefits at McDonald's US

New York

MCDONALD'S announced on Wednesday that it would raise wages and offer new benefits to 90,000 employees in the 1,500 outlets in the United States that it owns and operates, responding to competitive pressure from a tighter job market and to labour campaigns drawing public attention to its pay policies.

The decision, however, does not affect the 750,000 employees who work for the more than 3,100 franchisees that operate roughly 12,500 McDonald's restaurants around the country.

The company will increase wages to at least US$1 over the local legal minimum wage for workers in restaurants under corporate control to an average of US$9.90 an hour by July 1. That average will increase to more than US$10 in 2016. Employees who have worked in company restaurants more tha…