NEW YORK — McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook said Thursday he was “incredibly proud” of a decision to bump pay for some workers, even after protesters called on the company to do more outside its annual shareholder meeting.

Easterbrook, who stepped into his role in March, is fighting to revive sluggish sales and convince people that McDonald’s is a “modern, progressive burger company.” But the push comes at a time when protests for pay of $15 an hour and a union have been spreading around the country.

Hundreds of protesters turned out in Oak Brook, Illinois on Wednesday and Thursday before the company’s meeting.

McDonald’s had said in April that it would raise pay for workers at company-owned stores to at least $1 above the local minimum wage and let them earn paid time off.