## Costco to raise hourly pay for most US store workers to over $30

Authored by finance.yahoo.com

(Reuters) - Retailer Costco Wholesale will increase pay for most of its hourly U.S. store workers to more than $30, according to a memo sent to employees this week.

The company will increase hourly pay for its top of the scale employees over the next three years, with the pay rising by $1 to $30.20 in the first year and an extra $1 each in the subsequent two years, according to the memo.

The pay hike comes after Costco Teamsters union members said earlier this month that they voted in favor of a nationwide strike as they entered final round of talks to reach a new contract ahead of a Jan. 31 deadline.

The union, which represents more than 18,000 workers at Costco, said at the time that 85% of its members voted to authorize a strike.

The bottom of the scale employees will also get an increase of 50 cents to $20, according to the memo.

"With these changes, we believe our hourly wages and benefits will continue to far outpace others in the retail industry," the company said in the memo signed by CEO Ron Vachris.

(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu). »

### Stock Market Plummets as Trump Announces New Tariff War

Authored by newrepublic.com

While Trump and his base cheer on the strongman isolationism, Thune’s constituents in his home state of South Dakota could potentially suffer.

The state’s entire economy is reliant on agriculture—it exports soybeans, corn, and beef primarily, according to a Politico analysis.

Tariffs against these countries would cripple South Dakota’s economy, as they did in 2018 when Trump enacted the very same tariffs during his trade war. »

### Louisiana lawmakers demand 'family-friendly' halftime shows ahead of Super Bowl 2025, slam Rihanna, J. Lo as 'lewd'

Authored by ew.com

Things are a little, ahem, uneasy in the Big Easy ahead of the city hosting Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9.

Rihanna performs during Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023.

Jennifer Lopez performs onstage during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020. »

### Elon Musk is reportedly taking control of the inner workings of US government agencies

Authored by techcrunch.com

People working for, or with, Elon Musk are reportedly taking over the inner workings of multiple government agencies, including the Office of Personnel Management, the Treasury Department, and the General Services Administration.

Across the government, tech workers are being grilled and subjected to code reviews by Musk aides, Wired reported Thursday.

This article has been updated to include a new report by Wired that Elon Musk’s staff have also infiltrated the General Service Administration. »

### Small plane carrying 6 crashes in Philadelphia neighborhood, several homes catch fire

Authored by cbsnews.com

The plane, a Learjet 55, had just departed Northeast Philadelphia Airport bound for Springfield, Missouri, when it went down, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration.

A translated statement from the Mexican Foreign Ministry confirmed that the six people of Mexican nationality were traveling on the plane that crashed in Northeast Philadelphia.

Philadelphia City Councilmember Mike Driscoll described the plane crash as an "active emergency response situation" with "reported mass casualties.". »

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