RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Gearing up for the holiday shopping rush and at the sane time facing more unionization efforts – including at a huge operation in Garner – Amazon says it’s bumping starting pay for some “front-line” workers more than $1 an hour.
Starting wages for customer fulfillment and transportation jobs is being bumped to “more than $19 an hour” from $18 an hour, Amazon announced late Wednesday after the stock markets closed.
However, Amazon has yet to announce whether any additional jobs will be added to meet demand for “Black Friday” and other shopping through the end of the year.
Last year, Amazon hired some 150,000 workers and also offered hiring bonuses of $3,000. In 2020 Amazon added some 75,000.
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The pay increase announced Wednesday did not include a boost of Amazon’s minimum wage which is $15. Overall, workers in the fulfillment sector make between $16 and $26 an hour, according to Amazon.
Additionally, Amazon is launching a program that enables workers to “collect their pay at any point during the month.”
Currently, Amazon is looking to fill scores of jobs across the Triangle, though some roles can be done remotely.
Union at Amazon center in Garner? Organizers push their plan as Durham warehouse closes
Cutbacks in operations
The pay increase news comes as Amazon is cutting back on some warehouse operations, including multiple North Carolina facilities, though a company spokesperson told WRAL TechWire that Amazon is not laying off any workers.
Workers at an Amazon facility in Garner continue efforts to unionize. Employees at other locations also want unions.
“Front-line employees across customer fulfillment and transportation will now earn, on average, more than $19 per hour in the U.S., and they also have access to a growing range of comprehensive benefits to support themselves and their families,” said John Felton, Amazon’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations, in Wednesday’s announcement. “Continuing to invest in pay, providing easy access to earned wages at any time during the month, and offering great benefits and career advancement opportunities are all part of our long-term efforts to be the best employer in the world.”
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More training opportunities
Amazon also said it is launching the “Amazon Intelligence Initiative,” which it describes as a “career advancement program is designed to place employees in engineering roles within Amazon Web Services (AWS), working to operate AWS’s Dedicated Cloud regions.”
“Employees participate in a 12- to 14-month development program to enhance their technical skills,” Amazon explained. “These engineers then complete multiple on the job rotations with hands-on experience alongside top AWS engineers. The Amazon Intelligence Initiative provides participants with full-time employment during this training, with great pay and benefits. Once their time in the program is completed, employees are placed into the most appropriate roles.”
