Advocate Aurora Health said it will increase its minimum hourly wage incrementally over the next three years to $15.
The Milwaukee and Downers, Grove, Illinois-based health system will bump up its minimum hourly wage to $13 in mid-2019 and to $14 in early 2020. The $15 minimum hourly wage will go into effect by early 2021.
Wisconsin’s hourly minimum wage matches the federal wage of $7.25. It is $8.25 in Illinois.
The decision aligns with the system’s “longstanding commitment to be market competitive and remain a place that attracts and retains top talent,” said Kevin Brady, chief human resources officer for the health system.
“While we continue to face shrinking reimbursements and soaring pharmaceutical costs, we see this as a critical investment in our most valued resource: you,” Brady said in a memo to employees. “Continuing to ensure that our team members have access to rewarding jobs with comprehensive benefits, competitive wages and an engaging work environment will not only strengthen our workplace, it will strengthen our marketplace and most importantly, enhance the quality of life in our communities from Green Bay to Bloomington Normal and everywhere in between.”
Advocate Aurora Health, which is the largest private employer in Wisconsin, joins a growing list of companies that plan to increase their minimum hourly wages to $15. BMO Harris Bank, which has a significant presence in the Milwaukee market, enacted the change in January. Green Bay-based Associated Banc-Corp announced in December 2017 it would do the same. The Milwaukee Bucks pay its employees a minimum hourly wage of $12.50 and have vowed to increase it to $15 per hour by 2023.
