Amazon will raise its minimum wage for all U.S. hourly employees, including full-time, part-time and seasonal employees, to $15 per hour, according to Fortune.
The announcement comes after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has repeatedly criticized Amazon for paying wages so low that he alleges many employees rely on government subsidies to supplement their pay. Mr. Sanders introduced the Stop Bezos Act to force companies that don't pay a living wage to reimburse the federal government for benefits paid to low-wage workers.
"If Amazon is so proud of the way it treats its workers, it should make public the number of people it hires through temporary staffing agencies like Integrity Staffing Solutions and make public the hourly rate and benefits those workers earn," said Mr. Sanders.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said the new minimum wage will take effect in November, before the holiday hiring season.
"We listened to our critics, thought hard about what we wanted to do, and decided we want to lead," said Mr. Bezos. "We're excited about this change and encourage our competitors and other large employers to join us."