Wal-Mart announced major changes to the way it compensates employees Thursday. The retail giant hiked its starting wage to $11 an hour and offering increased benefits for parents as well as a one-time $1000 bonus for some workers. But it’s not out of generosity. It’s thanks to savings that come from the President’s new tax plan. “We actually estimate that Wal-Mart can generate about $4 billion in incremental free cash flow,” Barclays Analyst Karen Short, told Cheddar. “This is just a portion of the allocation.” The company joins the likes of Bank of America, JetBlue, and AT&T, which have all returned savings from the tax plan to their workers. But wages at Wal-Mart have been in the spotlight for some time. Facing pressure from advocacy group’s, the retailer has upped what it pays employees three times in the past 3 years. Still, even with the announced increases, the starting wage is still below the $15 rate for which employees have argued. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/wal-mart-raises-wages-cites-tax-reform).

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