Spectrum owner latest to hike wages for front-line workers in COVID-19 outbreak
Charter Communications, the company behind the Spectrum brand, is the latest Charlotte-area employer to give workers a raise amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The telecommunications company said in a press release Monday that it will implement a retroactive $1.50 per hour increase for front-line field technicians and call center employees who provide “essential communications services.”
By 2022, all of those employees and all other hourly workers will have a minimum starting wage of $20 an hour, according to the release.
Under both the Mecklenburg County and statewide stay-at-home orders, companies that provide telecommunication services are considered essential.
A spokesman for Charter would not provide the number of employees affected by the wage increase.
Charter is the latest corporation to hike the pay for workers considered to be essential as the coronavirus devastates the country.
For instance, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, Aldi and other grocers have added temporary wage increases, and companies like Bank of America and Wells Fargo are paying call center employees and “front-line” workers extra.
The additional compensation comes as more employees nationwide are protesting working conditions. Workers at Amazon, Whole Foods and grocery store delivery service Instacart, for example, have walked off their jobs to demand better safety measures and pay.
In the release, Charter said it has offered employees an additional three weeks of paid time off for any reason related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
In a $55 billion deal, Charter bought Time Warner Cable in 2016, and they combined under the Spectrum name.
