ISAQUAH, Wash. – The giant membership wholesale chain Costco is raising its minimum wage to $16 an hour. The chief executive of the Isaquah- based firm, Craig Jelinek made a splash of the announcement at U.S. Senate budget hearings in Washington on President Biden’s push to move the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15. At $16, Costco leapfrogs competitors Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart. The company has 180,000 U.S. workers who average $24 an hour. Among 785 Costco locations:
> Minnesota: Burnswood, Coon Raoids, Eagan, Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Minneapolis, Rochester, St. Louis Park, Woodbury,
> Wisconsin: Appleton, Menomonee Falls, Middleton, New Berlin, Sun, Prairie.
Verbatim
Craig Jelinek, chief executive: “Since Costco’s inception, the company has been committed to paying the employees very competitive retail wages and providing them broad and affordable health care benefits. Two years ago, we moved our starting hourly wage to $15 everywhere in the U.S. Effective next week, the starting wage will go to $16.”
Jelinek. Chief executive since 2012, succeeding Costco founder James Sinegal.