Target Announces Raise in Starting Wage to $15 an Hour

Chances are this news will lead quite a few Americans to fill out an application at Target.

$15 an hour will now be the starting hourly wage for all Target employees. Well, technically the wage increase will become official and permanent on July 5th, but you get the point.

The company made the announcement today, but they highlighted a 2020 goal of $15 per hour back in 2017. Their goal since 2017 was to raise all of their employees' wages to a minimum of $15 an hour by the end of 2020. They didn't even need the entire year to accomplish that goal, even with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Not only will the pay raise to $15 become permanent on July 5th, but also hourly employees will receive a one-time bonus of $200 for their "efforts throughout the Coronavirus pandemic."

I can say as a frequent Target shopper, every employee I've encountered during this pandemic has been kind, hard-working, and diligent in their work so I say they are all deserving of the raise and bonus.

Back in 2019, Target was already ahead of schedule on their trek towards $15 an hour, by raising their starting wage to $13.

Of course, the national minimum wage still remains at $7.25 an hour, although efforts to raise that to $15 are ongoing, and have been for some time. The group FightFor15.org formed in 2012, and according to their website, they’re a global movement in over 300 cities on six continents.