A popular American natural fast food restaurant is extending its worker benefits to part-time employees by giving them sick pay, paid vacation time, and even helping pay their college tuition.

Salaried workers with Chipotle Mexican Grill already receive those benefits, but the package will be a huge boost for the company's roughly 48,500 employees who are paid by the hour.

Chipotle expects the change, which takes effect July 1, to bolster their efforts to recruit high school and college students to work for them, and encourage existing employees to pursue a full-fledged career within the company.

It's the latest announcement in a positive trend for U.S. chain restaurants and other companies responding to public pressure for improved pay and better benefits.

Starbucks announced a program last year, with Arizona State University that allows its workers to go to college online and McDonald's announced in April it would raise employees' pay to $1 above local hourly minimum wage requirements at company-owned restaurants starting July 1. In April, Wal-Mart raised salaries for 500,000 workers and insurance company Aetna raised the company's minimum wage to $16 an hour.

(READ more at CS Monitor) – Photo by JeepersMedia, CC – Story tip: Julia

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