The latest in a string of examples proving that the free market does work, Target has announced that it will increase its minimum wage to $9 per hour for all workers in April.
Target’s decision follows recent pay hikes from other large retailers, like Wal-Mart and TJ Maxx.
Molly Snyder, a spokesperson for Target, told the Huffington Post that the retail chain already paid above the federal minimum wage at most of its store, but needed to make the larger change to “stay competitive.”
“We want to make sure we are competitive and make sure that we recruit great talent,” she said.
The federal minimum wage currently sits at $7.25 per hour, though some states have higher requirements.
The minimum wage battle has been at the forefront of political discussions in the past year. The Obama administration and Congressional Democrats pushed for a federal increase to $10.10, while some cities made the jump to levels as high as $15.
It has also already made its way into the 2016 presidential campaign.
Likely GOP candidate Chris Christie made headlines recently when he hit Hillary Clinton and Democrats for only ever proposing wage hikes as a solution.
“Now, Mrs. Clinton’s answer to that is to say, ‘Raise the minimum wage.’ I will tell you this: No parents are sitting around a kitchen table tonight saying, ‘If our child can get a higher minimum wage, my gosh, every one of our aspirations for them will be realized.’ It’s not happening,” Christie said.. “I want a country where those parents can honestly look at their children and say, ‘You can aspire to be anything you want in this country, no matter where you come from.’ ”
Another 2016 contender Jeb Bush also commented Tuesday that he opposed federal minimum wage increases while not-really-but-basically campaigning in South Carolina. He said wage decisions should be left to businesses and state governments.
