Why Amazon Raised Wages to $15 an Hour

FEATURING KSHAMA SAWANT – The online retail giant Amazon made a surprise announcement earlier this week that it was raising its employee minimum wage to $15 an hour. As per CNN, “The change takes effect November 1 and applies to full-time, part-time and temporary workers. Amazon says the $15 minimum wage will benefit more than 250,000 Amazon employees, plus 100,000 seasonal workers.

Amazon CEO and Founder Jeff Bezos, who is the world’s richest man and who has been the target of fierce criticism for underpaying his employees, said, “We listened to our critics, thought hard about what we wanted to do, and decided we want to lead. We’re excited about this change and encourage our competitors and other large employers to join us.”

But in Seattle, Washington, the company hasn’t been so generous in its efforts to help workers or the residents of the city where it is headquartered.

Kshama Sawant, Seattle City Councilmember, first Socialist councilmember to be elected, affiliated with Socialist Alternative party.