Amazon herald this morning that the company will raise its minimum wage to $ 15 for all American workers , include seasonal employees and those utilise by temporary worker government agency . The move is a verbatim result of public pressure from people who have criticize Amazon for low payoff , grueling atmospheric condition , and the fact that many Amazon employees trust on solid food stamps . One in three Amazon storage warehouse employees in Arizona , for example , are onfood stamp .
“ We listen to our critics , mean hard about what we want to do , and make up one’s mind we require to precede , ” Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos saidin a statement . “ We ’re worked up about this modification and encourage our competitors and other large employers to bring together us . ”
The novel $ 15 minimum run into effect on November 1st and will touch 250,000 American Amazon employee , as well as more than 100,000 seasonal holiday employees that are being staffed up for the do officious time of year . The current federal lower limit earnings is $ 7.25 per hour , which has n’t been change since the summertime of 2009 . Some major city have taken it upon themselves to lift their minimum wage , including Seattle which went to $ 15 earlier this twelvemonth .
Amazon also says that the ship’s company plans to buttonhole the U.S. government for a variety to the minimal wage . Unions and workers right activists have been call up for a $ 15 minimum wage for year .
“ We will be working to make Congressional musical accompaniment for an increment in the Union lower limit salary . The current charge per unit of $ 7.25 was set near a 10 ago , ” Jay Carney , elderly vice president of Amazon Global Corporate Affairs , say in a argument . “ We intend to preach for a minimal pay gain that will have a profound encroachment on the lives of X of millions of citizenry and families across this country . ”
Amazon did not immediately respond to Gizmodo ’s request for input this morning about how it project to lobby Congress and just how many lobbyists it has in the Washington , D.C. area . [ Update : Amazon would not comment on the record about its lobbying . ]
worker at Whole Foods , which was bought by Amazon in 2017 and has of late see workerstry to unionise , are also getting a wage increase . Amazon has been sharply anti - union in leaked videoobtained by Gizmodo .
Jeff Bezos , the full-bodied man in the world with over $ 164 billion , has come under harsh critique for employing a low paid workforce , many of whom rely on food stampsto survive . Amazon has also been criticized globally for not paying its sightly part of taxes . The ball-shaped technical school giant is also being investigated by the European Union over how ithandles consumer data . European workers were not refer in Amazon ’s insistence release .
Whatever its motif , it ’s a good thing that Amazon is starting to pay actor more . And as you’re able to see from the program line by Bezos , this was a verbatim response to unfavorable judgment . Public shaming whole kit . And unions are even better .
[ Amazon ]
Update , 7:50am : In a blog post for Amazon UK , the companionship has announce that minimal earnings in Britain isbeing raisedto £ 10.50 in the London orbit and £ 9.50 in the rest of the country . The cost of living in London is importantly gamey than the relief of the country .
Update , 10:45am : Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont just held a very shortpress conferencegiving Jeff Bezos “ deferred payment where credit is due . ”
https://www.facebook.com/0/videos/2239606852940081/
“ Let me take this opportunity to give thanks the many hundreds of Amazon worker who touch our office spill the beans about the wages and working experimental condition that they were engage under , ” Sanders said .
“ We also want to take this chance to thank the grinder and heroines at the Fight For Fifteen trend , a campaign that started off in the fast solid food industry many years ago and is sweeping the country , ” he continued .
“ What Mr. Bezos today has done is not only enormously important for Amazon ’s hundreds of thousands of employees , it could well be , and I opine it will be , a shot try around the earthly concern , ” Senator Sanders said , explaining that there ’s “ no reason ” why other employer in the U.S. should n’t be pay up at least $ 15 per hour as well .
“ In this commonwealth , if you ’re working 40 minute a workweek , you should not be hold out in impoverishment . ”
AmazonBernie SandersJeff Bezosunions
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