Walmart Raises Minimum Wage to $9

Does the world seem just a little brighter today? Are Winter Storms Juno and Neptune just a little less cold? (Nope. Still cold.)

It might be because Walmart announced that it was raising its minimum wage to $9.00, for all entry-level workers in its U.S. stores. As Reuters notes, that means some employees will be receiving a 24 percent raise. Here’s more info from Reuters:

The world’s largest retailer said the increases would cost it $1 billion and impact 500,000 employees, or about 40 percent of its workforce, although the hike falls short of what some labor groups have been agitating for.

We can infer from that quote that about 40 percent of Walmart workers have entry-level, or close to entry-level, positions. That feels disappointing, especially because Chief Executive Doug McMillon told Reuters and other media outlets that he wanted Walmart employees to think of Walmart as a “ladder of opportunity.”

Still. $9 across the board! That’s better than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 and better than the minimum wage offered by 42 states! In some areas of the country, it’s even a living wage for a single adult with no children.

And that’s a step forward.

Photo credit: Mike Mozart

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