Jan. 16. Atrium is increasing its hourly minimum wage $1 an hour to $17.50 per hour in both the Charlotte and Winston-Salem markets.

It means an additional $328.4 million in compensation beginning this month.

The increased minimum wage affects 31,700 nursing aides, medical assistants, pharmacy techs and environmental services technicians.

The federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

Quotable

“Together with our teammates, we have created an incredible workplace culture to care for patients and communities,” said Christie Peterson, chief human resources officer for Advocate Health’s Southeast Region. “Part of creating and sustaining a great culture is ensuring we are compensating our teammates not only for the great care they provide each and every day, but also in a market-competitive way. We value and appreciate our teammates for all they accomplish and believe this added investment helps demonstrates that value and our commitment to our workforce.”

Advocate Health is one of North Carolina’s largest employers, with more than 64,000 Atrium Health teammates and $5.6 billion in annual payroll, including the additional 10,500 teammates it employs in Georgia.