In an abrupt shift, a top McDonald’s official said Tuesday that the company would no longer lobby against minimum-wage increases at the federal, state or local levels.

The announcement, which was simultaneously cheered by supporters of higher pay and criticized as a publicity stunt by some in the restaurant industry, was included in a letter that a McDonald’s vice president wrote to officials at the National Restaurant Association.

In the letter, a copy of which was obtained Wednesday by The New York Times, the McDonald’s vice president, Genna Gent, said that the company would “not use our resources, including lobbyists or staff, to oppose minimum wage increases” at any level, and that it would not “participate in association advocacy efforts designed expressly to defeat wage increases.”

“We do have a perspective on elements of this discussion,” she wrote. “We believe increases should be phased in and that all industries should be treated the same way.”