By Diane Stafford and Mark Davis
Kansas City Star, Feb 19, 2015
The announcement Thursday by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. that it is raising pay for many of its workers was another sign that the economy is improving and that companies are feeling the pressure from nationwide protests for higher wages. ...
Wal-Mart follows other big retailers that have announced plans to increase pay. Home furnishings retailer Ikea this year gave thousands of workers at its U.S. division a 17 percent average raise to $10.76 an hour. And clothing chain Gap raised its minimum wage to $9 last year and $10 this year.
Several large retailers, such as Costco, and other businesses have joined an organization called Business for a Fair Minimum Wage. Holly Sklar, the group’s chief executive, said it is “important that our nation’s largest private employer is finally beginning to follow many other companies in raising starting pay.”
But Sklar noted that the buying power of the 1968 federal minimum wage would equate to nearly $11 when adjusted for inflation. ...