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McDonald's tells NRA it will no longer lobby against minimum wage hike

March 29, 2019

McDonald's told the National Restaurant Association that when it comes to minimum wage hikes, the brand is laying down its sword and will stop taking part in efforts to lobby against them at the federal, state or local level, according to a report in Politico this week. The minimum wage has remained unchanged for nearly 10 years, at $7.25 per hour. 

In a letter to the NRA, which is the nation's largest restaurant membership association and a major player in lobbying efforts supporting restaurant ownership, McDonald's Vice President of Government Relations Genna Gent told the association that wage hikes should be added in phases with all industries being "treated the same way," Politico reported. Gent added that the fast food giant believes that  the wage hike topic is important and "one we wish to advance, not impede."

In January, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told Politico it would "listen" to discussions over wage increases but that if they happened, there would have to be some kind of support for small businesses, Chamber President Tom Donohue told reporters in January.

The Service Employees International Union, which has been fighting for an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour, said it was happy about the McDonald's news, but not finished with its fight for higher compensation for some of the nation's lowest-paid workers.