Warehouse and delivery workers get pushed around

An Amazon employee carries a box over his shoulder when delivering Amazon packages to people.

An Amazon employee delivers boxes in Los Angeles. Amazon has raised wages for warehouse workers and delivery drivers. Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo

As more and more of its employees talk about joining unions for higher pay, Amazon has decided to give these employees a raise.

Amazon announced it was raising the average starting wage for its warehouse workers and delivery drivers from $18 to more than $19 an hour, starting this month. This is an annual investment of $1 billion for the second largest employer in the country behind Walmart.

The e-commerce giant says its “front-line employees” in the United States will now earn between $16 and $26 an hour, depending on their position and location.

This general wage increase comes as rising inflation further eats away at workers’ take-home pay. This happens just before the busy holiday season, when Amazon typically hires tens of thousands of seasonal workers. (He has yet to announce his hiring plans for this holiday season.)

And it’s no coincidence that this widespread wage increase also comes as frustrated workers at several Amazon warehouses talk about organizing and joining unions. They want higher pay, more paid holidays, more job security and better working conditions. Amazon retaliated against unionization, according to a number of media outlets.

In a major development, workers at Amazon’s Staten Island warehouse voted this year to form the company’s first-ever union in the United States. month.

Along with the pay hike, Amazon is announcing it is expanding a payday advance program, called “Anytime Pay,” which allows its employees to cash out up to 70% of their earned wages when they want to. wish. Previously, most Amazon employees received their salaries once or twice a month.

Mike Brassfield ([email protected]listen)) is a lead writer for The Penny Hoarder.


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