CEO: Donald Thompson
Average hourly worker wage: $7.73
CEO hourly compensation: $9,247 (1,196 times the average worker wage)
Overtime to CEO pay: 3.86 months
The world’s largest hamburger chain has the dubious distinction of having the biggest wage gap between its CEO and its workers. Like Walmart, the chain has become a focal point of the efforts of fair-wage advocates. In October, a labor group released a recording of a McDonald’s worker help-line operator instructing an employee on how to apply for food stamps. Over the summer, a 2010 budget sheet released by McDonald’s for its employees drew public outrage for its impracticality: among other things, the budget included income for a second job (implying workers needed one) and failed to factor in costs like groceries, gas, and childcare.
A series of fast-food worker strikes have been held across the country since this past summer.
