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Full-time workers across the country reported raises of 25 cents in Orlando; 35 cents in Coppell, Tex.; and 55 cents in Hebron, Ky. That brings their pay to between $11.50 and $15.05 an hour, after raises ranging from 2 to 4 percent. An employee in Robbinsville, N.J., said she had been notified of staff meetings scheduled for this week.
One part-time worker, in San Bernardino, Calif., says the 40-cent bump to $13.15 an hour is the first raise he has received since he began working at the company four years ago. Like the other Amazon workers in this report, he spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
“It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough at all,” the worker said. “The HR manager in the room was like, ‘Aren’t you excited? Come on, clap!' We started a slow clap, with no emotions on our faces. A 3 percent raise in four years — it feels like damage control."
Amazon has also been showing animated videos promoting Amazon’s benefits packages at the meetings, according to workers.
The staff meetings and hourly raises come as Amazon faces continued scrutiny over the treatment and pay of its workers, particularly in its more than 100 U.S. fulfillment centers with 200,000 employees. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) this month introduced a bill calling on Amazon to pay a living wage to its employees, following reports that thousands of Amazon workers rely on federal assistance for food, housing and health care. The median Amazon worker was paid $28,446 last year, according to company filings.
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