President Obama called Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon on Wednesday to commend him for raising employees’ wages, a move that is prompting other retailers to follow suit.
Mr. Obama phoned Mr. McMillon from Air Force One on his way to Miami, where he was holding a town-hall-style meeting on the immigration issue. The president also renewed his call for Congress to raise the federal minimum wage.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said last week that it will raise pay to at least $9 an hour by April and $10 by February. The White House cited a move by TJK Cos., which owns T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and Home Goods, to raise wages by June as a sign of momentum for boosting pay above minimum wage.
Seventeen states, as well as cities and corporations, “have acted to make a meaningful difference in the lives of seven million Americans since the president’s call to raise the federal minimum wage in his 2013 State of the Union,” the White House said.
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