Amazon will boost the wages of its transport and fulfillment workers in the U.S., the retail giant announced Wednesday.

The company said the base salary of U.S. hourly workers will rise to $22 an hour from the current $17-$19. Amazon also said it will throw in free Amazon Prime membership.

Amazon employs around 800,000 transportation and fulfillment workers around the U.S.

Workers will notice the pay increases later this month, with the Prime membership added to employee benefits early next year.

The wage increases will go into effect before the holiday season, which tends to be Amazon’s busiest time of year. The increases could help Amazon combat accusations from its labor union that the company isn’t doing enough to improve working conditions.

Amazon Labor Union, which organized workers in the company’s Staten Island, New York, warehouse in 2022, recently joined the Teamsters Union, providing the upstart group with increased resources.

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.