Costco Is Raising Employee Wages To $30/Hr

Costco is giving its nonunionized employees a pay raise. In a recent internal memo, CEO Ron Vachris announced that hourly wages for store clerks and top-pay assistants will increase by $1 in March, reaching $30.20 an hour. Wages will then continue to rise by $1 each year for the next three years. Entry-level workers will also see a 50-cent raise, bringing their hourly pay to $20.

“There’s a plain and simple reason Costco chooses to offer industry-leading wages,” Vachris said in the memo. “We believe our employees are the very best in the retail industry.”

Additionally, Costco is among the few U.S. corporations that have chosen to retain their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. In response, 19 Republican state attorneys general issued a letter demanding the retailer repeal its DEI initiatives within 30 days. At this time, it’s unclear how the retailer will respond to the demands.