The business community protested in 2013 when voters passed a constitutional amendment raising New Jersey’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.25 an hour, with annual increases tied to inflation. So how will businesses react now that a $15 minimum wage is in the works?
The Democrat-controlled State Assembly has passed a law raising the minimum wage across the state to $15 an hour. While Gov. Chris Christie is likely to veto the bill, the law indicates the fight over minimum wage is far from over. Lobbyists for the business community criticized the measure, which coincides with initiatives to guarantee workers paid sick leave and a proposed constitutional amendment to fund the state workers’ pension system.
“Any one of these issues alone would hurt the economy; together, they form a trifecta that would be devastating to our business climate,” wrote Michele Siekerka, president of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association.
