Amid the union surge, Amazon took a drastic step to raise the average salary of warehouse workers and delivery drivers.
On Wednesday, Amazon announced that it would raise the average starting salary to over $ 19 an hour.
Previously, if labor disputes occurred in multiple branches, it was $18.
Amazon employees get a pay raise
Amazon’s first pay raise will take effect next month.
The company’s frontline employees in the United States earn between $16 and $26 per hour.
However, the company said that the salary depends on the position and location of the worker in the country.
According to Amazon, the company is investing nearly $ 1 billion in salary increases and other perks.
The announcement comes just before the holiday season, one of the busiest for the e-commerce giant.
They also made the decision as rising inflation continues to erode Americans’ domestic pay.
Amazon’s pay rise also comes after the company faced unionization of workers in several warehouses.
Warehouses have been a source of frustration for employees running the business during the pandemic.
In addition to the treatment, national attention to racial justice and justice has also increased.
The Amazon Labor Union
In early 2022, workers at a warehouse in Staten Island, New York, made history by voting to form America’s first union at Amazon.
Meanwhile, another union election is due to take place at an Amazon factory near Albany, New York, next month.
Workers at this facility hope to join the Amazon Labor Union, the same labor group that has flourished on Staten Island.
Through organizing efforts, Amazon workers are demanding higher wages, better working conditions, job security, and a greater voice in the workplace.
Amazon’s additional programs
Amazon’s announcement on Wednesday didn’t just cover the wage increase.
The company also announced that it is expanding Anytime Pay, its paid access program, to all employees across the United States.
The program gives Amazon employees access to more than 70% of their qualifying earned wages.
Employees can use the program any time of the month for free. Previously, Amazon employees were only paid once or twice a month.
Reference:
Amazon raising hourly pay for warehouse and delivery workers
