The Maine AFL-CIO is praising Wal-Mart’s announcement that it will increase the pay of 500,000 workers to above minimum wage.
Wal-Mart on Thursday said it will increase pay for those workers to at least $9 an hour in April, $1.75 above the federal minimum wage, CNN Money reported. Their pay will then increase to at least $10 next February.
“For years [Wal-Mart] has claimed that raising wages was impossible and was not a realistic business model,” Maine AFL-CIO President Don Berry said in a prepared statement. “Workers everywhere are glad to see Wal-Mart change their mind.”
“[Wal-Mart] has shown that raising wages is both possible and attainable, and just the beginning of a longer effort to create family-sustaining jobs,” he continued. “We hope other low-wage employers will wake up and raise wages.”
Source: CNN Money
