Big Moves: Amazon Boosts Pay and Cuts Health Costs

Amazon is making big changes to help its workers. They are putting over a billion dollars into raising pay and making health care cheaper. The average pay will go up to more than $23 an hour. Some workers with a lot of experience will get a raise of $1. 10 to $1. 90 per hour. Full-time workers will see about $1, 600 more each year. Health care is getting cheaper too. Starting next year, the basic health plan will cost $5 a week and $5 for visits. This is a big cut in costs. It will be 34% less per week and 87% less for most visits. Amazon has a lot of workers—1. 5 million around the world. Last December, some workers went on strike. They wanted better pay and conditions. The Teamsters union was pushing for this during a busy shopping time.Amazon also had to make changes after a safety issue. They settled with OSHA to improve working conditions. The agency said the old conditions caused back problems and other injuries. Other big companies are also raising pay. Walmart said their average pay will be over $18 an hour. They added some higher-paying jobs last year. Target’s pay starts at $15 to $24 an hour, depending on the job and location. The average pay at Target is more than $18 an hour. These changes show that big companies are listening to workers. Better pay and cheaper health care can make a big difference. It’s good to see companies taking steps to support their employees.