DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Wal-Mart says it will increase wages for roughly 15,400 Iowa workers. The Des Moines Register reports the company announced Monday that workers who were hired before Jan. 1 at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club locations in Iowa will be paid at least $10 an hour. Employees will see the increase on their paychecks beginning Thursday.

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. There are 69 Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores in the state. Wal-Mart says it’s spending $2.7 billion over two years to fund wage increases and provide better training programs throughout all of its U.S. stores.