(Reuters] – Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:) will increase its overall compensation budget to U.S. employees in the face of rising inflationary pressures as well as a push towards unionization. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal Wednesday.

According to WSJ, the starting hourly wage for American workers will increase by $22, or more based on the market. This is a 45% rise from 2018, citing an email.

This compensation change comes after former and current workers criticised the company’s work conditions on social media last year.

In response to labor activism at large firms, workers in the Atlanta branch filed a petition seeking to organize a union election.

Apple provided Wednesday information to its employees that they would extend their annual reviews by three more months. According to the WSJ, the new pay will begin in July.