Amazon Increase the hourly wage of more than half a million employees in the Fulfillment, Delivery and Ranking teams by between $ 0.5 and $ 3.The US tech giant announced on Wednesday.

The increases, which will go into effect between May and June, come ahead of a federal hearing on A. Thwarting the union campaign And after President Joe Biden singled out Amazon to avoid federal income taxes.

The Seattle-based e-commerce giant got to work A wave of employment during the pandemic, adding 500,000 jobs last year. Now, it employs about 1.3 million people worldwide.

Generally, the company reviews wages every fall prior to the holiday shopping period. But Darcy Henry, vice president of global operations, said in a statement that he expected this time the annual rise, something that seeks to help attract candidates for the “tens of thousands of jobs” he seeks to fill in US operations.

The statement added that the salary increase will be distributed among the employees of the compliance, delivery, parcel sorting and fulfillment teams, while the other teams will be informed of their annual compensation during the year.

In 2018, Amazon raised the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour for all U.S. employeesIt recently joined several other large companies in calling for an increase in the federal minimum amount to the same amount.

Amazon promoted the hourly rate, among other benefits, while defending itself against an eventual failed attempt to establish the company’s first union at a US facility.

Earlier this month, unions and political leaders argued that Amazon employees face constant pressure and oversight, with little job protection, highlighting the need for collective bargaining.

Organizers of the botched union campaign accused the company of intimidating workers before the mail vote and filed a case with the National Labor Relations Board.

Earlier this month, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos admitted in a letter to shareholders that the company could do better for its workers. He said he was uncomfortable with the results of the Alabama State Federation election.

In defending Amazon’s treatment of employees after the vote, Bezos promised a better “vision” for workers. In a message he set a new goal for the company to be “the best employer on earth and the safest place to work”.

Amazon announced the increases the day before its first-quarter earnings release schedule.

Other retailers have also raised their salaries. For example, Costco recently raised its minimum wage to $ 16 an hour. Target just raised her starting salary to $ 15 an hour.

Amazon is the second-largest private hiring company in the United States, after its retail rival Walmart.

(With information from Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press)

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