Amazon raises hourly pay for workers to $15 after criticism

1. I was here.

2. Until Bezos pays his share of taxes, he will always be a criminal!

3. Don't get this twisted public, this was not a raise!! They denied their employees from earning anymore stock! So there was no raise for employees. Employees are no longer "onwers" of the company, just workers

4. Bernie 2020.

5. Too bad they took monthly bonuses and stocks away, therefore paying us the exact same as we did before the minimum wage increase. But NOW it's more of a reason for lazy people to apply and stand around a month or two before they get booted. Rinse wash repeat.

6. Love Amazon its the best

7. 1. Amazon’s move reflects a strong economy that benefits all Americans.

   The fact that Amazon can pay all its workers at least $15 per hour shows that the economy is growing in ways that benefit all Americans—not just those earning below $15 per hour.

   With the unemployment rate below 4 percent and more job openings available than there are people looking for jobs, the labor market is stronger than it’s been in decades. And businesses—small and large alike—are thriving on the back of the recent Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the removal of unnecessary and harmful regulations.

   Businesses are sharing that growth with workers through things like wage increases, bonuses, and new benefits such as paid family leave.

   2. Higher wages means more money and more opportunity.

   When workers take home more money, they can purchase more goods and services and save for their future. They can also invest in themselves through education and training.

   In addition, higher wages can draw marginal workers—like teenagers and individuals with disabilities—into the labor force, giving them experience and opportunities they otherwise would have missed.

   3. Higher wages reflect increased productivity.

   The fact that Amazon can pay all its workers at least $15 per hour highlights the company’s use of technology and innovation to make workers more productive.

   In part, Amazon has done this through automation—using robots to replace human workers. And there’s nothing wrong with that—robots still require humans to build, operate, and service them.

   In the long run, companies can’t afford to pay workers more than the value they contribute to the company, so workers who receive pay increases should celebrate both their bigger paychecks and their greater value.

   While Americans should celebrate Amazon’s higher wages, here are three reasons why they should worry about a higher federal minimum wage:

   1. A low-wage job is better than no job.

   Economists across the political spectrum agree that even small minimum wage increases lead to job losses.

   A 2016 Heritage Foundation analysis found that more than doubling the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 would cause 7 million workers to lose their jobs. While lower-income areas would be the hardest hit, even high-income areas would suffer.

   A government-commissioned economic analysis of the impact of implementing a $15 minimum wage in one of the richest counties in America—Montgomery County, Maryland—found that it would cause one in every three low-wage workers to lose their jobs and would result in a $1.8 billion decline in net income for low-wage workers over the next five years.

   That’s why even Alan Krueger, Princeton University economist and former chair of President Barack Obama’s economic advisers, noted that a $15 national minimum wage would “risk undesirable and unintended consequences,” and said that implementing a $15 minimum wage “strikes me as a risk not worth taking.”

   2. Shutting the door to opportunity.

   For most workers, minimum wage jobs are stepping stones, not careers. Low-wage jobs—regardless of whether washing dishes or ringing up groceries—give workers critical experience that they can’t get in a classroom. And that experience opens doors.

   Those jobs also provide the opportunity for less-advantaged teenagers to earn money to attend college or vocational training that they otherwise couldn’t afford.

   Moreover, there is dignity in work, and low-wage jobs allow individuals the opportunity to overcome hurdles—like disabilities, lack of English proficiency, or a criminal record—and provide for themselves.

   On the flip side, artificially high minimum wages shut workers out of jobs and opportunities, leading them to believe they have no value to society and to give up on their dreams and goals.

   3. Driving out the little guy.

   What works for Amazon won’t work for all businesses, especially not the small businesses that employ 70 percent of all workers in the U.S. Those small businesses don’t have a nearly $1 trillion market cap, their owners aren’t hundred-billionaires, and many of them can’t afford to pay all their workers at least $15 per hour.

   But that doesn’t mean they should be driven out of business or prevented from growing.

   If Amazon had to pay a $15 minimum wage when it first set up shop 24 years ago, it may not even exist today. Businesses don’t start big, and if they don’t have room to grow, they won’t start at all.

   Amazon’s choice to implement a $15 minimum wage is great news, and what will be even better news is if other companies are able and choose to follow in Amazon’s footsteps.

   But if policymakers prevent workers who cannot produce more than $15 an hour from holding a job, and close the doors of businesses that cannot provide $15 per hour jobs, they will end up hurting the very same people they intend to help.

8. $15 an hour was what warehouses paid in 1985. And it was bad. You people are idiots.

9. Minimum wag pays for nothing in America! Bills go up monthly and your salary goes up bi-annually, how are you supposed to keep up

10. The comments are claiming that a percentage of workers are receiving government assistance (EBT, Medi-cal/Medicaid) at the $11/hr wage. So when they go in for their yearly renewal and get kicked off of all these benefits because they no longer qualify due to their new earnings of $15/hr, do you think that extra $4/hr is going to cover health insurance premiums and food for an entire family? It's simple math, really.

11. Everyone is saying go Bernie!! But did you know he was trying to make being a doctor and working at McDonald’s have the same pay? I’m disappointed in y’all smh

12. ok for those of you who need the help, WE ARE LOSING MONEY because of this. Without VCP and Stocks I will lose money anually, yes I will be able to plan out my finances better but over the course of the year I will lose 3/4 grand.

13. What you don't know is that your membership rates will go up to compensate for the increase

14. Soon their going to buy robots and throw all the people out. Jay capitalism!

15. Great….now we consumers can pay for that pay bump with higher prices. You people are idiots.

16. Jeff Bezos was feeling that bern

17. 15 bucks in california aint shit

18. Pretty sure he has no intention of INCREASING MINIMUM WAGE unless we AGGRESIVLY ATTACK JEFF vocaly

19. People need to know the truth. This is actually a pay cut for anyone who has worked for the building over 2 years. They don't tell you in the news that they took away our employee stocks and variable compensation (a monthly percentage based on productivity and attendance… is typically an extra $200 a month and up to $600 during peak season so this is worth noting) in the end I will now be making $1 an hour LESS than I was previously taking home. Thanks Amazon 🙁

20. Bernie 2020

21. Get em Bernie!!

22. 😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣 that's still bullshit! That company needs should paying minimum 23 an hr!

23. Should be getting more than that….walmart needa do the same

24. Walmart needs to match this

25. Now it’s worth it working 12 hours a night slaving in bdl2 is worth it

26. Meanwhile UPS still thinking if $13 is good enough

27. 👏👏👏👏👏👏!!!!

28. 😱😱

29. Thank you, Senator Bernie Sanders!!! Bernie 2020

30. ABC trying to make it seem like now Amazon has to spike prices… When in reality, Amazon and Jeff Bezos were making so much money…. They could always afford to do this. Like most every corporation.

31. wages should be raised to something like $23 per hour, to be commensurate with inflation $15 per hour is shite!

32. I thought they were making that anyway.Hmmmm!

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