McDonald's executives vacated the company headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois Wednesday ahead of a massive protest involving thousands of workers and supporters.
The company says it asked employees who work at 2111 McDonald's Drive in Oak Brook to work from home in order to assist police in managing crowds and traffic related to the protests.
"The decision was made because that building is in a high traffic area, off a major highway and is next to a busy shopping mall and the pedestrian and vehicle traffic and congestion would be unbearable," McDonald's spokeswoman Lisa McComb said in an email. "They are working from home and the rest of us are working as usual."
She noted that the closure affects only one of five buildings where McDonald's corporate employees work.
Here's a look at the crowds on the McDonald's campus:
BREAKING; Hundreds of McDonald's workers are protesting for a wage hike in Oak Brook. http://t.co/WFwbp7YQFL pic.twitter.com/PSyrXsvVco
- ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) May 21, 2014
The protestors, who are calling for a $15 minimum wage, moved their demonstration to a McDonald's campus about 2 miles away that houses Hamburger University, a company training facility.
"We need to show McDonald's that we're serious and that we're not backing down," Jessica Davis, a 25-year-old McDonald's crew trainer who joined the protests Wednesday, told Reuters. Davis said she earns $8.98 an hour.
The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour, which adds up to about $15,000 a year assuming a 40-hour workweek.
This is the latest in a string of protests involving fast food workers. Last week, workers in 150 cities across the U.S. walked off their jobs as part of a demonstration supporting higher wages. Workers and supporters also protested at the chains' international locations in 30 countries, according to labor organizers.
McDonald's says the protests will not affect its annual shareholders meeting, which is scheduled for Thursday.