Walgreens joins other retailers with starting pay boost

By TOM MURPHY
AP Health Writer

Walgreens will hike starting pay to $15 an hour beginning in October, as employers across the United States continue boosting wages to attract workers. The drugstore chain says the wage hike will take effect in phases and be completed by November 2022. It will affect workers in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the company has about 190,000 hourly employees and 9,100 store locations. Spokesman Phil Caruso says around half of those employees already earn at least $15 an hour. Starting wages vary according to market but are currently not less than $10 per hour.