*By Carlo Versano*
Amazon said Tuesday it will raise the minimum wage for all its workers in the U.S. to $15 an hour.
The e-commerce giant announced in a [blog post](https://blog.aboutamazon.com/working-at-amazon/amazon-raises-minimum-wage-to-15-for-all-us-employees) that the change would be effective Nov. 1, include all full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees and that there would be no conditions attached to the raise.
Further, Jay Carney, the former Obama press secretary who heads Amazon ($AMZN) corporate affairs, said the company will advocate for an increase in the federal minimum wage, which has been at $7.25 since 2009.
The company said 250,000 employees and 100,000 seasonal hires will benefit from the changes. Whole Foods employees, who have begun organizing for a union, will be included. Amazon bought Whole Foods last year for nearly $14 billion.
In a press release, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said, "We listened to our critics, thought hard about what we wanted to do, and decided we wanted to lead."
Amazon has been under increasing pressure from Congress, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), over wages and work conditions at its fulfillment centers.
Workers at a number of pharmacy chains nationwide were planning a walkout Monday and going through Wednesday.
President Joe Biden on Monday will sign a sweeping executive order to guide the development of artificial intelligence — requiring industry to develop safety and security standards, introducing new consumer protections and giving federal agencies an extensive to-do list to oversee the rapidly progressing technology.
Beauty tips from Allure Magazine.
A new study finds where millennials live can affect how well they can do.
Apple's latest keynote event will be live-streamed on its website, YouTube and Apple TV At 8 p.m ET.
McDonald's reported better-than-expected profit and sales in the third quarter.
President Joe Biden signed a wide-ranging executive order on artificial intelligence in the U.S.
Stocks jumped in Monday's early session after a slew of earnings and other news events that saw the market attempt to make a positive finish to a rough month. Investors also braced for a rate decision from the Federal Reserve as well as the latest jobs report this week.
Cocoa prices are trading at 44-year highs and global sugar prices are at 12-year highs.
Big Business This Week is a guided tour through the biggest market stories of the week, from winning stocks to brutal dips to the facts and forecasts generating buzz on Wall Street.
