McDonald's says it's serving up a raise for some of its workers, but some city protesters say the new policy isn't what they ordered. NY1's Lori Chung filed the following report.

Jorel Ware said he makes "$210, $210 maybe" in a good week in his job as a crew member at McDonald's.

"And hopefully, it's not a week I have to pay my phone bill," he said.

He's part of a movement to convince the company to pay higher wages. 

"We tired of living in poverty," he said. "We want to be able to take care of our families. We want to be able to live life on life's terms."

Student protesters hit the pavement in front of a Harlem McDonald's to demand that the company pay workers here in the city no less than $15 an hour, more than $6 above the state minimum wage.

"I can't imagine having to make $8.75 and live in New York City while raising a family and working at McDonald's," said one person at the protest. "I know the conditions, and I know that they're not ideal."

On Wednesday, McDonald's did announce a new benefits package for employees in company-owned restaurants. It includes a wage increase of $1 over the local minimum wage. Workers in New York will earn a minimum of $9.75 per hour starting July 1. 

McDonald's CEO, Steve Easterbrook, said, "We know that a motivated workforce leads to better customer service, so we believe this initial step not only benefits our employees, it will improve the McDonald's restaurant experience."

Protesters, though, said while that may sound good, there's one problem.

"It doesn't apply to franchises," said one protester. "There's absolutely no guarantee that people are going to get paid even $10."

Franchise locations set their own pay policies, a fact not lost on workers like Ware.

"That's a slap in the face," he said. "So the other 90 percent of the workers, we're just not important."

Protesters said they also want to see fast food restaurants like McDonald's unionize. For its part, McDonald's said it's also offering its full- and part-time employees paid time off, something the company said will enhance its employees' lives and careers.