Kalamazoo Area Target Stores Raising Wages, Handing Out Bonuses

One thing that the pandemic did was raise our awareness of what is essential in our everyday lives.  Or more specifically, WHO'S essential in our everyday lives.

Before the crisis we always considered front line workers to be law enforcement, firemen and forewoman and EMTs and , of course, our military personnel.  However, as our lives changed in what seemed like the blink of an eye, those who were otherwise thought to have ordinary jobs became just as important as those just mentioned.

We cannot forget the healthcare professionals and the thankless job that they did but what became even more remarkable in my mind is that the workers that have always been taken for granted were now not just essential but were in harms way.

Literally over night, people like convenience store clerks making minimum wage were actually afraid that they might die.  That is not overstating the facts.  And yet they came to work everyday so that the rest of us could maintain some semblance of normalcy through the first stages of the oncoming virus.

Their contribution did not go unnoticed and, for a while, there was talk of rewarding them in one of the federal stimulus packages.  there still may be a chance for that to happen but some companies aren't waiting.

Target announced yesterday that they are raising their starting pay to $15.00 an hour and giving essential workers $200 for their efforts so far through the crisis.  In addition, employees will have access to increased healthcare even if they don't have insurance through the company.