McDonald's has come under increasing pressure to improve working conditions for employees: hundreds of protesters rallied around the company's Oak Brook, Ill. headquarters on Wednesday, demanding $15 an hour pay as well as a union.
Over 100 of those demonstrating against the company were arrested by police under trespassing charges after they shut down and took over a company building.
"When it comes it comes to the minimum wage, that is a national discussion, that is not a McDonald's issue, it's an economic issue," McDonald's spokeswoman Sa Shekhem told NBC News.
"We'll look to the folks in Washington to determine what happens."
The company also came under fire earlier this year for charges associated with violations of worker safety. Employees in 19 cities across the United States filed complaints with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration over workplace-related concerns.
The 28 workers claimed they were injured while on the job because of lax safety standards and faulty equipment. Some also claimed that they had been advised to treat their wounds with mayonnaise and mustard.
Sa Shekhem assured government officials, investors and consumers that they are "committed to providing safe working conditions for employees in the 14,000 McDonald's Brand US restaurants," BBC reports.
McDonald's was founded in 1940 in San Bernardino, Calif.
