Wayfair, the furniture and home goods e-commerce business, said on Thursday that all of its U.S. employees would be paid at least $15 an hour. The increase, which went into effect on Jan. 3, applies to full-time, part-time and seasonal workers at the company.<\/p>\n
More than 40 percent of Wayfair\u2019s hourly employees working across its U.S. supply chain and customer service operations received a pay bump.<\/p>\n
\u201cThroughout the challenges of the past year, we rolled out numerous initiatives to support our team including pay premiums, bonuses and a family dinner program,\u201d Niraj Shah, the company\u2019s co-founder and chief executive, said in a statement. \u201cNow, as we enter 2021, we are continuing to build upon our steadfast commitment to our team and their families by increasing minimum pay for all hourly employees.\u201d<\/p>\n
The retailer, which has 16,700 employees, said it had also provided enhanced benefits to workers during the pandemic, including premium pay to frontline workers, bonuses, child care support and emergency paid time off.<\/p>\n
The announcement comes after 20 states and 32 cities and counties raised their minimum wage on Jan. 1. In 27 of these places, the pay floor reached or exceeded $15 an hour, according to a report released by the National Employment Law Project, which supports minimum-wage increases. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour hasn\u2019t been increased since 2009. President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has endorsed $15 an hour at the federal level and has backed other changes sought by labor groups, like ending the practice of allowing a lower minimum wage for workers who receive tips, such as restaurant workers.<\/p>\n