By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon says it’s making a $1 billion investment to raise wages and lower the cost of health care plans for its U.S. fulfillment and transportation workers.

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The Seattle-based company said Wednesday the average pay is increasing to more than $23 per hour and said that some of its most tenured employees will see an increase between $1.10 and $1.90 per hour. Full-time employees, on average, will see their pay increase by $1,600 per year.

Amazon also said it was lowering the cost of its entry health care plan to $5 per week and $5 for co-pays, starting next year. Amazon said that will reduce weekly contributions by 34% and co-pays by 87% for primary care, mental health and most non-specialist visits for employees using the basic plan.

Amazon has a global workforce of 1.5 million workers.

Last December, seven Amazon facilities went on strike, an effort by the Teamsters union to pressure the e-commerce company for a labor agreement during a key shopping period.

That same month, Amazon reached a settlement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that requires the online behemoth to adopt corporatewide ergonomic measures at facilities across the country. The agency claimed hazardous working conditions led to serious lower back and other musculoskeletal disorders at Amazon facilities.

In January 2024, Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, said that average wages for hourly workers would exceed $18, up from $17.50. The increase was due to Walmart introducing some higher-paying hourly roles in its Auto Care Centers last year, among other changes, the company said.

Walmart had announced in January 2023 that U.S. workers would get pay raises the following month, increasing starting wages to between $14 and $19 an hour. Starting wages had previously ranged between $12 and $18 an hour, depending on location.

While much of the NHL will take a two-week break for the Winter Olympics in February, Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes will be in Italy, chasing gold.

On Wednesday, Hynes was named an assistant coach for Team USA, which will be seeking its first Olympic gold medal since the 1980 Miracle On Ice. Wild general manager Bill Guerin, serving the same role for Team USA, has named Hynes, David Quinn and John Tortorella as assistants to head coach Mike Sullivan.

Hynes also served as an assistant coach for the Americans last spring when they won their first IIHF World Championship gold in nearly a century.

Also named to the Team USA staff were Wild trainers John Worley and Travis Green, and Wild team physician Dr. Joel Boyd. The Olympic tournament begins on Feb. 11 in Milan.

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Los Angeles residents and sports fans around the world will soon be able to lock in their spots for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games—with Olympic ticket sales launching in 2026 and Paralympic ticket sales to follow in 2027, LA28 officials announced Wednesday.

General admission tickets will start at $28, with sales managed by LA28’s official ticketing providers, AXS and EVENTIM. In addition, curated hospitality packages and ticket-inclusive experiences, will be available next year through On Location, the official and exclusive hospitality partner for the Games

Fans can register for the Olympic Games tickets at la28.org beginning in January. A randomized draw system will assign purchase time slots for each round of ticket drops. Early access opportunities will be available for residents in communities near official LA28 venues.

The phased rollout marks the first time tickets will be available for the 2028 Games, which are expected to bring more than 15,000 athletes and millions of spectators to the Golden State.

“The LA28 Games will be an opportunity to purchase a ticket to history,” said Reynold Hoover, CEO for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. “Whether you’re a local family attending your first Olympic or Paralympic event, or a global traveler joining us for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, there really will be something for everyone across our suite of ticket options and hospitality packages.”

The Olympic Games will run from July 14 through July 30, 2028, followed by the Paralympics from Aug. 15 to Aug. 27. Events will be held at iconic venues including the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, SoFi Stadium, the Rose Bowl, the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area and others across the Southern California area including Long Beach and Orange County.

Los Angeles will become the third city in history to host the Olympics three times, having previously hosted the Games in 1932 and 1984. The only other two cities to do so are London (1908, 1948, 2012) and Paris (1900, 1924, 2024). LA28 will also mark the city’s first time hosting the Paralympics.

Organizers said the 2028 edition will feature a number of firsts — including a higher percentage of women athletes than men, the introduction of new Olympic and Paralympic sports, and the distinction of being the first Games since 1948 to rely entirely on existing or temporary venues, with no new permanent infrastructure planned.

More information, including registration, ticket draw process and hospitality details, will be released later this year. In the meantime, fans can sign up for updates at la28.org.

Here’s how to get started:

Subscribe for updates: Sign up for the LA28 newsletter to receive the latest on ticket sales, registration timelines and hospitality package availability.
Register to buy: Registration is required to purchase general tickets. The registration window for Olympic tickets opens in January 2026; registration for Paralympic tickets opens in 2027.
Ticket access will be via a draw: After registering, fans will be entered into a draw process that assigns a time slot to buy tickets during upcoming ticket drops.
Local fans get early access: Residents near Games venues will receive early access opportunities.
Hospitality packages go on sale early: Starting in early 2026, official LA28 hospitality and travel packages will be sold on a first come, first-served basis through On Location via https://hospitality.la28.org/en, including benefits like guaranteed accommodations, venue transportation, premium seating and curated in-venue and out-of-venue experiences.

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Excellent news for the St. Paul restaurant scene: The Commodore is coming back!

Owner John Rupp said the Cathedral Hill restaurant will go through a soft-open phase beginning Thursday, Sept. 18, at 4 p.m. During the first month or so, the Art Deco space, first opened in 1920, will serve cocktails and a snack menu. It’ll be open Thursday through Sunday nights.

In November, the space will fully reopen as a restaurant with a full dinner menu.

The Commodore has been mostly closed since the COVID pandemic, except for private events. Rupp said there’s still plenty of space available for rentals, “but now we’re going to add the open-to-the-public component.”

“When we planned this, by the way, we thought the weather would be inclement,” Rupp said, which helps draw people indoors.

But the glittering Jazz Age space is sure to attract history buffs and cocktail lovers alike, no matter the weather.

The restaurant’s glamorous design has remained true to a 1933 remodel after Prohibition ended. It was modeled after bars found in the early 20th-century trans-Atlantic ocean liners.

The history of the property, now condominiums, but originally built as a hotel, is deep. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald was a resident during Prohibition, when there was a speakeasy in the basement.

Rupp said the phased opening will help the staff get up to speed with less of the new restaurant pain. He said he shares in the public’s excitement about the storied space.

“It deserves to be open,” Rupp said.

The Commodore: 79 N. Western Ave., St. Paul; 651-842-9098; thecommodorebar.com

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