McDonald's CEO Don Thompson said his company does not exploit their workers.
In an interview with Bloomberg Television's "In The Loop," Thompson said the fast-food chain has "always been an above-minimum wage employer."
"We're about providing opportunity," Thompson said. "When we can help people to be able to have viable income, we're going to continue to do that and we are going to provide opportunities so that a person can rise through the system and gain greater and greater wealth."
According to recent NELP projections, the median hourly wage for fast-food cooks, cashiers and other crew members is $8.94 per hour. That is more than the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, according to the United States Department of Labor. The hourly wage became effective July 2009.
Thompson's interview comes after reports surfaces of an online budging tool used for employees. The report is said to be proof that the fast-food restaurant is paying their incoming and entry level workers too little.
The budget assumed employers would need to get a second job to at least get by. That is about $24,000 per year, according to the Huffington Post.
Thompson called the budget interesting and said it was meant to be nothing more "than a way to help employees plan out their finances."
In an interview with the Huffington Post, National Employment Law Project Policy Analyst, Jake Temple, said the problem with the company has never been transparent about its wage.
Temple said the wages for the entire fast-food industry would be higher if McDonald's actually paid its entry-level employees more than the minimum wages as it claims.
Some workers have come forward to show how the amount they are making at McDonald's measures up to their daily responsible. A majority of workers told the Huffington Post that their annual income totaled up to barely the equivalent of the federal minimum wage or lower.
