Target is in the news again, firstly for increasing its minimum wage to $10.00 an hour and Secondly, to stand up against recent state legislatures concerning transgender use of bathrooms.
Recently, the governor of North Carolina signed a bill that would force individuals to use the bathroom that corresponds with the sex listed on their birth certificate. Mississippi and Minnesota passed similarly related laws and many are saying this allows discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Many corporations are against the “bathroom laws”, simply because they discriminate against both employees and customers. There are mixed feelings about Target’s position, however, the giant retailer wanted to make their position clear by saying “We welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity. Everyone deserves to feel like they belong.”
Target has also started raising employee wages to a minimum of $10 an hour. This is the second pay hike in a year, and will go into effect in May. The decision came as a result of the competitive job market and labor groups calling for higher wages at retail chains. Wal-Mart also lifted its base pay to $10 an hour in 2016. According to Target, they provide competitive wages and compensation-related benefits that rivals other employers; however, in recent months, they have had their own labor pains from unionizing pharmacy workers (target later sold its pharmacy business to CVS Health Corp); as well as, lawsuits accusing the company of failing to pay overtime to workers with low-level management responsibilities in New York.