McDonald's Raises Hourly Wages for Over 36,500 Employees at Company-Owned Restaurants

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McDonald's is hiking wages for employees of its company-owned restaurants in the U.S.

Over 36,500 employees will be receiving the 10% wage increase, which begins rolling out over the coming months, the fast food chain said on Thursday in a press release.

Entry-level employees will now be making $11 to $17 per hour, while shift managers will make $15 to $20 an hour based on location, McDonald's said.

The company is also looking to hire 10,000 new employees over the next three months.

"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 USA. "These actions further our commitment to offering one of the leading pay and benefits packages in the industry."

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McDonald's also said in the press release that it expects the average wage for employee of its company-owned restaurants to be $15 per hour by 2024.

Employees of restaurants owned by McDonald's franchisees will not receive the wage increase. According to CNBC, McDonald's franchises 95 percent of its U.S. restaurants.

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McDonald's announcement comes after Chipotle said Monday it will raise employees' pay to an average of $15 per hour by the end of June.

Darden Restaurants, the owner of several chain restaurants including Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Longhorn Steakhouse and more, has also promised to guarantee workers a set wage ($12/hour) by 2023, per CNBC.