More than 10,000 Atrium Health employees will receive raises from $12.50 an hour to $13.50 an hour, the Charlotte, N.C.-based system announced Feb. 6.
The increase, which took effect in late January, represents a $10.8 million investment by Atrium Health. They pay bump will show up on eligible employees' next paycheck, a spokesperson told the Charlotte Business Journal.
Atrium Health has gradually raised its minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $13.50 per hour since 2012.
The health system estimated that it has invested more than $200 million in its employees in the last year through performance-based incentive payment, wage increase or market pay adjustment.
Atrium plans to boost the minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2021 in the Charlotte region, where it has about 35,000 employees.
"I couldn't be more proud of the incredible team at Atrium Health who deliver on our mission of improving health, elevating hope and advancing healing," Atrium President and CEO Eugene A. Woods said in a news release. "This increase will positively impact more than 10,000 of our colleagues — and as the largest employer in the region, it will also help enhance the economic growth and mobility of the communities we serve."