Demonstrators asking for a $15 minimum wage and a union marched near the McDonald's headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois, on Wednesday, one day before the annual shareholders meeting will take place.
An estimated 2,000 protesters from across the United States took part in the event, and more are expected to arrive in time for another rally on Thursday. Last year, 1,500 protesters gathered outside of headquarters during the shareholders meeting, and more than 100 were arrested for crossing police barricades. Protester Kwanza Brooks with Fight for 15, the national group organizing the rallies, told USA Today that the demonstrators were there "to tell McDonald's and its shareholders to invest in the company and its workers instead of wealthy hedge fund managers and executives."
Earlier this year, McDonald's said it would bump up its starting pay for workers to $1 above local minimum wage, but organizers say that isn't enough to lift a person out of poverty, and that only applies to company-owned stores, which account for just 10 percent of all McDonald’s restaurants.
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