Photo: iStock. May 13, 2021 In advance of a planned strike next week of McDonald's workers in 15 cities, the company said its U.S. corporate stores will raise hourly wages for more than 36,500 employees at McDonald's-owned restaurants by an average of 10%, according to an email from the chain Thursday. Approximately 650 of the chain's 39,000 stores are company-owned, though it's unclear if that is nationally or globally. A McDonald's spokeswoman said the pay increases are already underway and will continue to roll out incoming months. That means at corporate stores, entry-level pay at the chain's company-owned unit will be raised to $11 to $17 an hour, and the starting range for shift managers will grow to at least $15 to $20 an hour, based on restaurant location.