Amazon raises wages for hourly workers in the United States
Amazon announced it was spending nearly $1 billion to raise wages for hourly workers in the United States amid criticism of its labor practices and a fierce labor battle. The increase will bring the starting pay for most front-line warehouse and transportation workers to over $19 an hour, while pay in fulfillment and elsewhere will rise to $16 an hour. The company's minimum wage will remain at $15 per hour.
Amazon is also extending its 'Pay Anytime' program to all employees, giving them access to up to 70% of their eligible earnings at any time and at no cost, rather than once or twice a month . It also added a new development program that allows employees to advance to engineering positions after 12 to 14 months of training.
Amazon is the second largest employer in the United States after Walmart, with a total workforce of over 1.5 million people. Most of them are hourly workers in warehouses or delivery, or retailers at Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh. The average hourly wage in the United States is $32.36, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, and $28.10 in the "transportation and warehousing" category.
In April of this year, more than 8,000 workers at a Staten Island factory voted to unionize, and Amazon lost its initial call for a new vote. He also faces a House committee investigation into a fatal warehouse collapse that killed six workers in a tornado. Last June, the panel accused Amazon of "obstructing" the investigation by refusing to turn over key documents related to an internal review.
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Amazon announced it was spending nearly $1 billion to raise wages for hourly workers in the United States amid criticism of its labor practices and a fierce labor battle. The increase will bring the starting pay for most front-line warehouse and transportation workers to over $19 an hour, while pay in fulfillment and elsewhere will rise to $16 an hour. The company's minimum wage will remain at $15 per hour.
Amazon is also extending its 'Pay Anytime' program to all employees, giving them access to up to 70% of their eligible earnings at any time and at no cost, rather than once or twice a month . It also added a new development program that allows employees to advance to engineering positions after 12 to 14 months of training.
Amazon is the second largest employer in the United States after Walmart, with a total workforce of over 1.5 million people. Most of them are hourly workers in warehouses or delivery, or retailers at Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh. The average hourly wage in the United States is $32.36, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, and $28.10 in the "transportation and warehousing" category.
In April of this year, more than 8,000 workers at a Staten Island factory voted to unionize, and Amazon lost its initial call for a new vote. He also faces a House committee investigation into a fatal warehouse collapse that killed six workers in a tornado. Last June, the panel accused Amazon of "obstructing" the investigation by refusing to turn over key documents related to an internal review.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices correct at time of publication.
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