Amazon announced on Tuesday, October 2 that they will raise their hourly minimum wage to $15 in the United States and £9.50 in the United Kingdom, after rampant political criticism about pay, working conditions, and benefits.
The pay raise will affect 250,000 employees of Amazon and 100,000 seasonal employees throughout the United States and United Kingdom. Seasonal employees whose wages will rise include full-time workers, part-time workers, and Whole Foods employees.
Amazon additionally stated it would begin to lobby the US Government to raise the minimum wage nationally, which is currently $7.25 and has been for nearly a decade.
The company had been facing extensive criticism from politicians, most notably Senator Bernie Sanders.
Sanders published numerous videos and statements denouncing Amazon’s working conditions, featuring the stories of Amazon workers who are homeless, the large numbers of temporary workers paid below minimum wage, and the fears employees harbor of recording “idle time,” which can constitute time as miniscule as a bathroom break.
In September, Sanders also introduced a bill called the Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies Act, or Stop Bezos Act.
The median salary for Amazon workers in 2017 was $28,446 in 2017, according to The Washington Post.
Criticism of the company has extended beyond its wages, however. A UK Amazon warehouse made international news when it was uncovered that employees peed in bottles, fearing punishment for taking a bathroom break. A survey of Amazon warehouse employees found around three out of every four Amazon warehouse employees feared going to the bathroom due to the time it takes.
“I do not drink water, because I do not have time to go to the toilet,” stated one employee.
Workers also reported being punished for being sick, including while pregnant.
A worker at an Amazon warehouse in Aurora, Colorado, photographed by Rick T. Wilking. From The New York Times.
James Bloodworth, the British reporter who went undercover as an Amazon worker to explore the conditions in the company’s warehouses said, “It’s overdue, but it’s a really good step.”
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said of the decision, “We listened to our critics, thought hard about what we wanted to do and decided we want to lead. We’re excited about this change and encourage our competitors and other large employers to join us.”
Although Bezos did not explicitly state who Amazon’s critics were, “the company is distancing itself from the suggestion that the salary rise is in response to Sanders’ pressure,” according to Business Insider.
Amazon’s minimum wage raise has caused some to speculate that it will change Americans’ perceptions on society, including how they think about work itself.
In a response to Amazon’s announcement, Sanders told CNN, “It is absurd that the taxpayers of this country have to subsidize the wealthiest person on Earth, who happens to be Mr. Bezos, because so many of his workers made wages that were so low that they were forced to go on food stamps and Medicaid — it doesn’t make sense. So I applaud Jeff Bezos today for raising the minimum wage at Amazon.”