It’s been six years since Congress raised the federal minimum wage, which stands at a paltry $7.25. Some companies aren’t waiting around any longer.
A week after Walmart said it would bump its roughly 500,000 lowest-paid employees up to $9 per hour in April, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and other chains owned by TJX Companies announced a similar plan to hike wages for hourly workers.
The moves could mark a turning point for the entire economy as more major corporations feel pressure to lift workers’ wages.
Here’s a list of major companies that aren’t waiting around for Congress to give hourly workers a raise:
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At Whole Foods, workers earn a minimum starting salary of $10 an hour. The average hourly wage is $18.89, while the average annual salary is $39, 289. A company spokeswoman told HuffPost in an email that the chain’s wages have contributed to a low employee turnover rate of less than 10 percent.
Rebecca Hiscott contributed reporting.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A portion of this article was previously published last June.
