Amazon is making another major delivery, this time for its employees: a $15 hourly minimum wage. The e-tailing giant said Tuesday it would increase…
Amazon is making another major delivery, this time for its employees: a $15 hourly minimum wage.
The e-tailing giant said Tuesday it would increase its minimum wage on Nov. 1 to $15 for all U. S. full-time, part-time, seasonal and temporary employees, including temps hired by agencies.
Amazon currently has more than 250,000 Amazon employees, and plans to hire more than 100,000 seasonal employees this holiday season.
The company had recently been the target of criticism from Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, who said Amazon doesn’t pay its lower-level employees a fair wage.
“We listened to our critics, thought hard about what we wanted to do, and decided we want to lead,” said Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos in a statement. “We’re excited about this change and encourage our competitors and other large employers to join us.”
Amazon also said it would begin lobbying for an increase in the federal minimum wage.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.
