*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.
Another drop for stocks on Friday has Wall Street on track to close out its first losing week in the last six.
Workers at 150 Starbucks locations will strike in the coming week over what their union says is a clash over decor supporting LBGTQ+ causes, but the company denies it's banned any such displays and accused the union of using misinformation as a tactic in labor talks.
About 7.5 million singing and swimming “Baby Shark” bath toys are being recalled after multiple lacerations and puncture wounds were reported in children playing with them.
Bud Light has rolled out a new ad campaign, weeks after protests over the company's partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
3M Co. reached a $10.3 billion agreement to settle lawsuits that claimed toxic chemicals had contaminated drinking water across the country.
Overstock.com has won the bid to buy Bed Bath & Beyond IP and digital assets.
Sales of existing homes rose just 0.2% in May from April and down over 20% from a year ago.
In his second day of testimony before the Senate Banking Committee, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated that the board is considering more interest rate hikes.
United Airlines will now be able to send a meal or hotel voucher to customers' phones, if needed, during emergency situations.
The government will require heavy trucks and buses to include automatic emergency braking equipment within five years, the federal traffic safety agency said Thursday, estimating it will prevent nearly 20,000 crashes save at least 155 lives a year.
