Amazon raises minimum wage to $20

Amazon is increasing its minimum hourly wage for core operations workers by $1 to $20 per hour. The raise applies to full-time warehouse employees who pick, pack, and sort orders.

Average wage now $24 per hour

Amazon's average hourly wage across operations is now about $24 per hour, the company announced on Wednesday.

Whole Foods discount for all workers

All US Amazon employees get a 20% discount on in-store purchases at Whole Foods, including groceries and hot bar items. A 10% discount also applies to fresh groceries ordered on Amazon.com.

Benefits take effect October 1

The wage increase and grocery discounts both take effect on October 1. Amazon has been expanding same-day fresh grocery delivery to thousands of US cities.

New financial services benefit added

Amazon is offering employees membership in First Tech Federal Credit Union through a program called Day 1 Financial. The benefit covers auto loans and basic services, and extends to spouses and children even after leaving Amazon.

Whole Foods purchase supports strategy

Amazon bought Whole Foods in 2017 and has since built a fresh grocery distribution network to compete with Walmart. The employee discounts let staff benefit from this expansion.

“When we build something like that, we want our teammates to benefit from it just as much as our customers do.”