Walmart and Sam’s Club Workers Get Pay Raise

Some 33,000 Walmart and Sam's Club workers in Alabama will receive a pay raise on this Thursday.

The biggest retailer, which has for years been criticized for paying low wages, said it will celebrate its largest single-day, private-sector pay increase, which affects more than 1.2 million workers in the United States.

Walmart/Sam's Club indicated that this month's pay raise changes include:

• All associates hired before January 1, 2016, will earn at least $10/hour.
• New entry-level associates hired after January 1, 2016 will continue to start at $9/hour and will move to at least $10/hour after successfully completing the company's new retail skills and training program known as Pathways.
• Store associates already earning more than $10/hour will also see their annual pay increase this month.
• There will be an increase in the beginning rate of its non-entry level hourly pay levels. Anyone earning below the new minimum will instantly move up to the new minimum.
• Associates at or above their pay level maximum will receive a one-time lump sum payment equal to 2% of their annual wages.

It is reported that Walmart, which operates 139 retail stores in Alabama, said it has promoted more than 6,000 in-state Walmart and Sam's Club workers to higher-paying positions and more then 4,100 employees from part-time to full-time status this year.