Ikea To Raise Minimum Wage For U.S. Workers With Tie To Living Wage Calculator
WASHINGTON -- The Swedish furniture giant Ikea is raising the minimum wage in all of its U.S. stores, and it's doing so in a way that may raise the bar for American retailers.
The famous seller of ready-to-assemble home goods will base the wage floor for each of its stores on the MIT Living Wage Calculator, which estimates what salary a worker would need in order to get by in a particular geographic area.According to Ikea, the move will boost the average store minimum wage to $10.76, a 17 percent increase, and bring raises to approximately half of the company's 13,650 U.S. employees. The new rates will go into effect on Jan. 1, according to Rob Olson, chief financial officer and acting president of Ikea U.S.
Ikea said it does not plan to raise prices for customers in order to pay for the wage increases.
Using a living wage calculator to determine area salaries appears to be without precedence among major retailers. The new minimum wage will vary at each of Ikea's 38 stores -- as well as its five distribution centers, two service centers and one manufacturing plant in the U.S. -- depending on the cost of living in each location. Olson said none of the minimum wages will be set below $9 per hour, and those in the priciest markets will top $13.
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This is America, damn it, land of the exploited and paying min. wage retail workers as low as possible, its the American way!
How dare they try to impose their socialism on our red white and blue Amurikan life!
But seriously, good for Ikea. I have always liked them, heck, I bought my bed that I sleep on from Ikea!
