Thread: New Jersey governor, lawmakers make deal on $15 minimum wage

New Jersey governor, lawmakers make deal on $15 minimum wage

BY MIKE CATALINI ASSOCIATED PRESS

JANUARY 17, 2019 01:49 PM,
UPDATED 31 MINUTES AGO

TRENTON, N.J. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and the Democratic leaders of the Legislature said Thursday they've reached a deal to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024.

The proposal announced by Murphy, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Senate President Steve Sweeney would raise the current rate from $8.85 to $10 by July 1, climbing by $1 a year until reaching $15 in 2024.

The agreement represents the fulfillment of a major Murphy campaign promise that eluded him during his first year, despite full Democratic control in the state.
Murphy says the deal is "historic" and will help about 1 million residents.

"No one working a full-time join should ever live in poverty. Putting the minimum wage on a clear and responsible path to $15/hour is good for workers, good for our businesses and good for our economy," the sophomore governor and former Wall Street executive said in a statement.

New Jersey would join a handful of states, including California, Massachusetts and New York, in phasing in a $15 hourly wage.

The higher wage was a top priority among the state's influential progressive groups, who have been pushing the issue for years. In 2016, former Republican Gov. Chris Christie vetoed legislation phasing in a higher wage.

Part of the delay stemmed from behind-closed-door discussions over special exemptions for the higher wage. The Thursday deal includes a few of those so-called carve-outs.
Farm workers, for example, will see their minimum wage climb to just $12.50 an hour over five years.

Seasonal workers and small businesses with five people or fewer would see their minimum wages reach $15 an hour by 2026.

Sweeney called the plan "progressive" and said it puts the state on the forefront of a "national movement."

Coughlin pointed out that the deal accommodates small businesses.

The news of a deal met with mixed reactions. The left-leaning think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective called the deal one of the most consequential in state history.

"The positive impact of this increase will reverberate throughout the economy as workers will immediately have more disposable income to spend in their local communities," said Brandon McKoy, the group's director of government and public affairs.

The New Jersey Business and Industry Association, which has opposed minimum wage hikes, criticized the deal.

"Today's announcement is another hit to small businesses who are absorbing cumulative costs in the form of new mandates, more subsidies for energy delivery and increased taxes as a means to balance the state budget," the group said in a statement.

New Jersey's current rate stems from a 2013 constitutional amendment that raised the rate from $7.25 to $8.25, and thereafter according to inflation.

It's unclear when the agreement would get a vote in the Legislature, where Democrats control both chambers.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-w...224708195.html

Now lower taxes and stop giving freebies to the illegal aliens! No school, no healthcare, no job, no housing, no bank accounts, no anchor baby!

Illinois Senate votes to raise minimum wage to $15 by 2025

I think that both states are Socialist Democrat controlled. The businesses will leave or automate. These tactics, in my opinion, help no one in the long run. Politicians use these tactics to gain control and when they have it, they have historically abused it bleeding the people dry with taxes and regulations. The rich will just move. JMO

STATE MINIMUM WAGES | 2019 MINIMUM WAGE BY STATE

State	Minimum Wage	Future Enacted Increases	Indexed Automatic Annual Adjustments
Alabama	none
Alaska	$9.89		Indexed annual increases begin Jan. 1, 2017. (2014 ballot measure)
American Samoa	varies 1
Arizona	$11.00	$12.00 eff. 1-1-20	Rate increased annually based on cost of living beginning Jan. 2021 (2016 ballot measure)
Arkansas	$9.25	$10.00 eff. 1-1-20$11.00 eff. 1-1-21
California2	$12.00	$13.00 eff. 1-1-20 $14.00 eff. 1-1-21 $15.00 eff. 1-1-22	Indexed annual increases based on CPI begin Jan. 1, 2023
Colorado	$11.10	$12.00 eff. 1-1-20	Rate increased annually based on cost of living beginning Jan. 1 2021 (2016 ballot measure)
Connecticut	$10.103
Delaware	$8.75	$9.25 eff. 10-1-19
D.C.	$13.25	$14.00 eff. 7-1-19 $15.00 eff. 7-1-20	Indexed annual increases based on CPI begin July 1, 2021
Florida	$8.46		Annual increase based cost of living. (Constitutional amendment 2004)
Georgia	$5.15
Guam	$8.25
Hawaii	$10.10
Idaho	$7.25
Illinois	$8.25
Indiana	$7.25
Iowa	$7.25
Kansas	$7.25
Kentucky	$7.25
Louisiana	none
Maine	$11.00 4	$12.00 eff. 1-1-20	Indexed annual increases based on CPI begin Jan 1, 2021
Maryland	$10.10
Massachusetts	$12.00 5	$12.75 eff. 1-1-20$13.50 eff. 1-1-21$14.25 eff. 1-1-22$15.00 eff. 1-1-23
Michigan	$9.25	$9.45 eff. 3-29-19$9.65 eff. 2020$9.87 eff. 2021$10.10 eff. 2022$10.33 eff. 2023$10.56 eff. 2024$10.80 eff. 2025$11.04 eff. 2026$11.29 eff. 2027$11.54 eff. 2028$11.79 eff. 2029$12.05 eff. 2030
Minnesota	$9.86/$8.04 6		Indexed annual increases begin Jan. 1, 2018.(2014 legislation)
Mississippi	none
Missouri	$8.60 7	$8.60 eff. 1-1-19 $9.45 eff. 1-1-20 $10.30 eff. 1-1-21 $11.15 eff. 1-1-22 $12.00 eff. 1-1-23	Minimum wage increased or decreased by cost of living starting Jan. 1, 2024. (2018 ballot measure)
Montana	$8.50/$4.00 8		Increases done annually based on the CPI and effective Jan. 1 of the following year. (2006 ballot measure)
Nebraska	$9.00
Nevada	$8.25/$7.25 9		Increases subject to the federal minimum wage and consumer price index. Increases take effect July 1. (Constitutional amendment 2004/2006).
New Hampshire	repealed by HB 133 (2011)
New Jersey	$8.85		Indexed annual increases based on the CPI, effective Jan. 1, 2014. (Constitutional Amendment 2013)
New Mexico	$7.50
New York	$11.1010	$11.80 eff. 12-31-19 $12.50 eff. 12-31-20 After 12-31-20, the rate is adjusted annually for inflation until it reaches $15.00
North Carolina	$7.25
North Dakota	$7.25
Northern Mariana Islands	$7.25
Ohio	$8.55/$7.2511		Indexed annual increases based on the CPI. (Constitutional amendment 2006)
Oklahoma	$7.25/$2.00 12
Oregon	$10.7513	$11.25 eff. 7-1-19 $12.00 eff. 7-1-20 $12.75 eff. 7-1-21 $13.50 eff. 7-1-22	Indexed annual increases based on the CPI are effective July 1, 2023 (2016 legislation)
Pennsylvania	$7.25
Puerto Rico	$7.25/$5.08 14
Rhode Island	$10.50
South Carolina	none
South Dakota	$9.10		Annual indexed increases begin Jan. 1, 2016. (2014 ballot measure.)
Tennessee	none
Texas	$7.25
Utah	$7.25
Vermont	$10.78		Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, minimum wage increased annually by 5% or the CPI, whichever is smaller; it cannot decrease. Note: Vermont started indexing in 2007 but enacted additional increases in 2014. (2014 legislation)
Virgin Islands	$10.50
Virginia	$7.25
Washington	$12.00	$13.50 eff. 1-1-2020	Annual indexed increases began Jan. 1, 2020. (ballot measure 2016)
West Virginia	$8.75
Wisconsin	$7.25
Wyoming	$5.15

Sources: U.S. Dept. of Labor, http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm; and state web sites.

http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-a...age-chart.aspx

Minimum wage rising in 20 states and numerous cities, 1/1/19