A lot of new Walmart employees are about to get pay raises.
The retail behemoth is raising the starting wages for more than 100,000 of its U.S. workers, including for managers of some departments and for workers in certain specialized areas. The wage hikes, first reported by The Associated Press, go into effect next month.
Managers of more service-oriented departments, such as electronics and automotive care, will see their hourly wages increase to a range of $13 to $24.70 per hour, from a previous range of $10.30 to $20.09 per hour. Managers of some other departments, including clothing and consumer products, will see their minimum hourly wages increase by a dollar to $10.90, while topping out at $20.71 per hour.
Workers in some of Walmart’s (WMT) specialized sections, such as the deli and wireless products sections, will see an hourly pay range of $9.90 to $18.81 per hour after previously earning anywhere from $9.20 to $18.53 per hour, the company told the AP.
This is the latest wage increase announced by the world’s largest retailer, which sees annual sales of more than $470 billion. Walmart said in February that it would bump its starting salary for workers to $9 an hour in April, and to $10 sometime next year. That move affected 500,000 of the company’s 1.3 million U.S. employees.
These moves by Walmart, as well as similar pay hikes announced recently by retailers such as Target (TGT) and the owner of T.J. Maxx (TJX), come amid widespread protests by retail workers and a growing movement in favor of a $15 per hour minimum wage in the U.S.
[Reuters]
