In a win for essential workers, Costco to boost its minimum wage to $16 per hour
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As the nation continues to face the novel coronavirus pandemic, society at large is trying to find ways of honoring both those we’ve lost and those who are on the front lines of the virus. Sometimes that means honoring the 500,000 American lives lost with cIn a win for essential workers, Costco to boost its minimum wage to $16 per hour
As the nation continues to face the novel coronavirus pandemic, society at large is trying to find ways of honoring both those we’ve lost and those who are on the front lines of the virus. Sometimes that means honoring the 500,000 American lives lost with candles and a moment of silence, and sometimes (often, if you’re active on social media) that means “thanking” essential workers, like cashiers, bus drivers, and delivery people, for their bravery and their work. While social acknowledgment is of course wonderful, one undercurrent to the situation remains the same: We can “thank” essential workers by paying them more (and making sure they aren’t pushed out of vaccine availability)—not to mention, providing actual benefits and job security. It’s with this framing that the latest news about big box store Costco feels so important. Costco, a wholesale retailer that sells food, household items, and even some apparel, is lifting its minimum wage to $16 an hour for store workers in the U.S. as of next week. Given that the federal minimum wage is still just $7.25 an hour (yes, really), Costco’s new rate is not bad. Especially when we remember that it’s more than some major competitors, like Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon, and Target start at. And nothing spurs change like an effort to keep up with competitors, right? Read more