Amazon Raises Minimum Wage to $15 for All Employees
*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.
U.S. consumer inflation eased in March, with less expensive gas and food providing some relief to households that have struggled under the weight of surging prices.
Tech giant Google on Tuesday dropped its mandatory global vaccine requirements to enter its buildings, saying "the world is in a very different place."
Will Sealy, co-founder and CEO of digital student loan consulting firm Summer, joined Cheddar News to discuss the process to obtain the best financial aid package ahead of a new school year.
Brian Jacobsen, senior investment strategist with Allspring Global Investments, joined Cheddar News to discuss Tuesday's trading session as investors await key inflation data that could prompt further action from the Federal Reserve.
