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Target will increase minimum wage to $15, gives essential employees $200 COVID-19 bonus

Target to increasing minimum wage to $15, gives essential employees $200 COVID-19 bonus
Posted at 6:41 AM, Jun 17, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-17 11:10:05-04

Target announced Tuesday that it is raising its starting pay to $15 an hour beginning July 5, fulfilling a promise it made three years ago to pay all employees at least $15 an hour.

In 2017, Target announced it planned to increase starting pay for employees from $11 to $15 an hour by 2020. Since then, the store has gradually increased its starting pay each year. In 2019, Target increased starting pay from $12 an hour to $13 an hour.

“Everything we aspire to do and be as a company builds on the central role our team members play in our strategy, their dedication to our purpose and the connection they create with our guests and communities,” Brian Cornell, Target's Chairman and CEO, said in a statement.

Target also announced that it would be giving a $200 bonus to all essential workers "for their efforts throughout the coronavirus pandemic."

In addition, Target said that it was offering employees free access to telehealth services through the end of the year, even for employees who don't get insurance through the company.