Walmart to raise starting hourly wage to $11, offer paid parental leave

“Walmart is raising its starting hourly wage from $9 to $11 and expanding its parental leave benefits, the company announced Thursday. The country’s largest employer, which has more than 1 million hourly workers, said the changes were motivated in part by anticipated savings from the newly passed tax plan, which offers sweeping tax cuts for corporations. Walmart is the first retailer in the S&P 500 to raise wages citing the tax law, and its across-the-board pay increases could pressure other companies to follow suit.”