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Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has announced plans to increase the pay of all U.S. employees to at least $9 an hour by April, and an additional dollar an hour by 2016. This wage increase will exceed the federal minimum wage by 24 percent. This will affect about 500,000 full-time and part-time Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club employees out of the company’s 1.4 million total.

With the nearing presidential election, the debate surrounding the richest percentile of Americans and the rest of the country has been a hot topic both in Congress and conference rooms. The move, while progressive for Wal-Mart, still has critics arguing for a $15 minimum wage. And while not a federal law, seven states, including California and Massachusetts, have already instated a $9 minimum (Minnesota will reach $9 in August).

This could be a major influence on other brands that have yet to increase wages, especially as pressures from state legislatures and the workforce continue.

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Nick Powills

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Nick Powills

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Nick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.

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