McDonald’s blasted what it called a “union attack” on its brand, after thousands of protesters gathered outside the company’s annual shareholder meeting Thursday in Oak Brook, Illinois.
Police said about 2,000 people took part in the peaceful protest outside the fast-food chain’s corporate offices to demand wages of at least $15 an hour, CNN reported.
McDonald’s said the protests are part of an ongoing $80-million publicity campaign by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), aimed at organizing workers across the fast-food industry, CNN reported.
“The union has spent its members’ dues money in the past two years attacking the McDonald’s brand … in an unsuccessful attempt to unionize workers,” the company said in a statement.
McDonald’s and its independent franchise owners “are standing strong and together in the face of this union attack,” the statement said.
CEO Steve Easterbrook said Thursday that he was “incredibly proud” of a recent decision to bump pay for workers at company-owned restaurants to $1 above the minimum wage.
Labor organizers have said the move falls short, partly because McDonald’s owns only about 10 percent of its stores nationwide, The Associated Press reported.
During the meeting, shareholders also approved a proposal to make it easier for investors to nominate directors, the AP reported.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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