Governor, Business State Views on $15/hr Minimum Wage

TRENTON – The following releases regard Gov. Phil Murphy pressing the Legislature for a $15 per hour minimum wage and a view from a business and industry association official:
Gov. Murphy
Acting on a commitment to build a stronger and fairer New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy urged the Legislature Nov. 26 to close the wage gap and pass a bill raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour for all working New Jerseyans before the end of the year.
“Establishing a livable wage of $15 per hour provides New Jersey’s working families with the opportunity to put food on their tables and keep the lights on in their homes,” stated Murphy in a release. “Raising the minimum wage is a crucial piece in building the foundation for a robust and fair economy. We have talked about this issue and the benefits it will bring to New Jerseyans long enough. The time for the Legislature to act is now.”
Increasing the minimum wage to $15 will empower working families, which in turn will boost productivity and grow New Jersey’s economy, the release stated.
NJBIA
New Jersey Business and Industry Association (NJBIA) President and CEO Michele N. Siekerka, Esq. issued the following statement regarding the governor’s Nov. 26 press conference on increasing New Jersey’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.
“Any responsible pathway to raising the minimum wage should take into consideration the impact on our small business owners, which drive our economy and support our communities.
“Many of our members have already told us any significant increase in the minimum wage will result in a reduction of staff, hours and/or benefits, or an increase in prices or automation.
“A gradual, phased-in increase of a $15 minimum wage will provide our job creators predictability and the ability to keep up with the continuing rising costs of running their business. It’s also important to remember that raising the rate at the entry level, regardless of an employee’s skill level, means resetting the rate for other workers across the board. Concerns about wage compression are real and can create inequitable pay differentials between low-skilled workers and trained or experienced ones.
“NJBIA will continue to advance a discussion that includes job training for higher wages, as well as appropriate exemptions to address youth and training wages, and various industry sectors more adversely impacted by the burden of their increased costs, in addition to a gradual phase-in of a minimum wage increase.”