In a Tuesday interview on Fox Business Network's'Mornings with Maria', former McDonald's CEO Ed Rensi warned that an increased minimum wage would foment massive job loss thanks to the relatively low cost of replacing workers with intelligent machines. "It's cheaper to buy a 35,000 robotic arm than it is to hire an employee who's inefficient making 15 an hour bagging French fries – it's nonsense and it's very destructive and it's inflationary and it's going to cause a job loss across this country like you're not going to believe," Rensi said. Even without a 15 per hour law, Rensi said that he thinks that franchising-model businesses are moving toward automation, since they are dependent upon low-skill workers to grow. It's going to happen whether you like it or not. And the more you push this, it's going to happen faster," the former McDonald's chief said.

Former McDonald's USA CEO Ed Rensi has said it would be cheaper to hire robots to replace the company's staff than to pay them the 15 minimum wage that many are demanding in protests across the country. 'It's cheaper to buy a 35,000 robotic arm than it is to hire an employee who's inefficient making 15 an hour bagging french fries,' Rensi told Fox Business Tuesday. He added that the demand to raise wages is'going to cause a job loss across this country like you're not going to believe.' Complaint: Ex-McDonald's USA CEO Ed Rensi (pictured) said that the company could buy'robotic arms' for less than it would cost to pay staff the 15 minimum wage that protesters are demanding Protests: McDonald's staff and their supporters went on strike (pictured) outside the Rock N Roll McDonald's in Chicago as well as protesting the McDonald's HQ in Oak Creek, Illinois. Fighting: The push for a 15 minimum began in 2012. As well as those in Chicago (pictured), the Oak Ridge protesters were setting up tents ahead of a McDonald's shareholder's meeting to occur tomorrow Rensi, who worked for McDonald's USA as president and CEO from 1991 to 1997, was talking to Maria Bartiromo, host of'Mornings With Maria,' ahead of protests Wednesday from employees demanding a 15 minimum wage.

A former McDonald's chief executive has warned that raising the minimum wage will spur unemployment as companies will instead employ robots that work for less. "I guarantee you if a 15 minimum wage goes across the country you're going to see a job loss like you can't believe," said Edward Rensi in an appearance on Fox Business Network Tuesday. "It's cheaper to buy a 35,000 robotic arm than it is to hire an employee who's inefficient making 15 an hour bagging French fries." The minimum wage has been a hot topic this spring, with some states and employers deciding to up their minimum wage to 15 an hour in the coming years. California will raise its minimum wage to 15 an hour by 2022.

As fast-food workers across the country vie for 15 per hour wages, many business owners have already begun to take humans out of the picture. "I was at the National Restaurant Show yesterday and if you look at the robotic devices that are coming into the restaurant industry -- it's cheaper to buy a 35,000 robotic arm than it is to hire an employee who's inefficient making 15 an hour bagging French fries -- it's nonsense and it's very destructive and it's inflationary and it's going to cause a job loss across this country like you're not going to believe," said former McDonald's (MCD) USA CEO Ed Rensi during an interview on the FOX Business Network's Mornings with Maria. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1.3 million people earned the current minimum wage of 7.25 per hour with about 1.7 million having wages below the federal minimum in 2014. These three million workers combined made up 3.9 percent of all hourly paid workers. "It's not just going to be in the fast food business. Franchising is the best business model in the United States. It's dependent on people that have low job skills that have to grow. Well if you can't get people a reasonable wage, you're going to get machines to do the work. It's going to happen whether you like it or not. And the more you push this it's going to happen faster," Rensi added.