Mar 9, 2016 1 min read

PHILADELPHIA – More than 45,000 Pennsylvania workers at Walmart and Sam’s Club are getting a pay raise.

Walmart said associates hired before Jan. 1, 2016 will earn at least $10 an hour. The raise will appear in Thursday’s paychecks.

The pay increases are part of the company’s two-year, $2.7 billion commitment to higher pay, better training, clearer career paths and additional educational opportunities for its workers.

Most of WalmMart’s 1.4 million U.S. employees will get raises.

Workers hired after the start of the year will continue to earn $9 an hour, which will increase after completing a skills and training program.

The moves come as the nation’s largest private employer has been under pressure from labor-backed groups.

The company operates more than 160 stores in Pennsylvania.