McDonald's boosts pay, adds paid leave at 1,500 restaurants

McDonald's is raising wages at the eateries it owns
(Image credit: Hannelore Foerster/Getty Images)

McDonald's is giving a raise and new benefits to the roughly 90,000 employees who work at the 1,500 U.S. restaurants the company owns and operates, the fast food giant announced Wednesday. Starting July 1, workers will get at least $1 over minimum wage, for an average pay of $9.90 an hour. Employees with at least a year on the job will also be eligible for up to five days of paid leave a year.

The across-the-board pay raise won't directly affect the bulk of McDonald's workers — 750,000 people work at 12,500 McDonald's eateries owned by 3,100 franchisees in the U.S. alone — but all U.S. workers will be able to take advantage of a new program allowing employees to get their high school diploma online free of charge, plus some assistance with college tuition.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.