Michigan Walmart employees get raises

MICHIGAN — If you work at a Walmart in Michigan, chances are you’ve got a raise coming your way.

The New Year will get off to a good start for current Michigan Walmart employees. MLive reports that the mega store chain will be raising the wages for workers in the state.

Walmart employs nearly 29,000 people in Michigan. It’s part of a multi–phase wage increase plan rolled out earlier this year. According to reports, full–time employees will now make an average wage of $13.61 and hour and part–time employees will make an average of $10.60 an hour.

Managers will be paid at least $15.00 an hour. Though the raises will likely amount to less than a dollar an hour for each employee, Walmart has stated in a press release that by February 2016, all hourly workers hired before January 1st will make at least $10.00 an hour.

The company reported more the $16 billion in profits last year. As the nation’s largest employer, Walmart has often been criticized for not paying higher wages in a time when many are calling for the minimum wage to be set at $15.00 an hour.

The New York Times says Walmart lags behind other retail giants but still has higher wages than many other major retailers. Because Walmart has such a large workforce, some experts are predicting the pay raises will lead to economic growth, while others warn that increasing wages could lead to higher prices making shopping more expensive for everyone.