Amazon has announced that the company is reportedly raising the minimum wage for all its United States employees to $15 which will be effective from next month.
The raise is applicable for part-time workers and those hired through temporary agencies. The company mentioned that it would also persuade Washington to raise the federal minimum wage which has been around $7.25 for almost a decade.
The rise in the wages will apply to more than 250,000 Amazon employees, including those at the grocery chain Whole Foods. Also, it will apply to more than 100,000 seasonal employees that the company plans to appoint for the holiday season. However, the change in wages will not apply to contract workers.
“We listened to our critics, thought hard about what we wanted to do, and decided we want to lead,” Amazon’s chief executive, Jeff Bezos, stated. “We’re excited about this change and encourage our competitors and other large employers to join us.”
Some employees who already make $15 per hour may also see a pay increase. Jeff Bezos has been facing criticism for its pay disparity and now he is taking up measure to give everybody an answer.
Employment has become one of Amazon’s most potent political issue from recent times. With this, jobs at Amazon’s warehouses and sorting centers have been witnessing a growth. The company now employs about 575,000 people all across the globe, up more than 50 percent in the past year.
Amazon had been paying a starting minimum wage of $11 an hour, however, the company did not reveal pay for part-time and contract workers. The company said the workers who now make more than $15 an hour will also get a pay increase, but it did not disclose how much.