Target raises minimum wage to $15 an hour
In a move that will impact 275,000 employees that work at its stores and distribution centers, Target said Wednesday it will permanently raise its starting wage by $2 to $15 beginning July 5.
Business
Unilever lays out plans for $1 billion investment in climate and nature fund
The consumer goods powerhouse, which owns brands including Marmite, Ben & Jerry’s and Lipton, said the investment will be spent over the next ten years on projects including water preservation, landscape restoration, wildlife protection and carbon sequestration.
Nike, Target, Twitter and more make Juneteenth a paid company holiday
A handful of corporations in the U.S. announced this year that they are making Juneteenth, the day traditionally used to commemorate the end of slavery, a companywide holiday.
Lyft vows ‘100 percent’ of its vehicles will be electric by 2030
By working with automakers and rental car companies, as well as the millions of independent contractors who drive for Lyft every day, the ride-hailing company believes it can prevent “tens of millions of metric tons” of pollutants from entering the atmosphere.
Ugandan startup recycles plastic bottles into face shields for COVID-19 frontline workers
The new effort provides critical relief in a country where medical workers have discussed work boycotts to protest the lack of protective equipment, especially after several healthcare workers were confirmed infected with the virus.
Band-Aid will now make bandages for darker skin tones
Band-Aid’s traditional soft-pink bandages have long been a point of contention among people of color who have questioned why white skin is the default shade for a range of flesh-toned products, including nude bras and other garments.
Intuit hits 100% renewable electricity goal 10 years early
The 419 MW Mesquite Star wind farm was just completed in Fisher County, Texas, and is now providing electricity for Ecolab, Lowe’s, Intuit, and Brown University. In the case of Intuit, the company has now reached its 100% renewable electricity goal.
IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft stop selling facial recognition software to police
Advocacy groups like the ACLU have long raised significant privacy concerns regarding facial recognition. Researchers like Joy Buolamwini, Timnit Gebru, and Deborah Raji have demonstrated that these technologies can come with built-in racial and gender biases.
Merriam-Webster to revise its definition of racism following request from Missouri woman
Kennedy Mitchum, a recent college graduate from Missouri, believes that the dictionary’s current first definition of racism is too simple and too often employed to dismiss concerns and avoid accountability.
NASCAR bans Confederate flag at all events and properties
“The presence of the confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry,” NASCAR said.