By The Staff
_
Both the Assembly and State Senate approved legislation to hike New Jersey’s minimum wage to $15 on Thursday, sending legislation to Governor Phil Murphy’s desk which would increase New Jersey’s minimum wage to the arbitrary $15 for most workers over the course of five years.
Among those voting ‘yea’ was state Senator Dawn Addiego (D-8) who bolted the GOP for the Democrat caucus at the beginning of the week citing the promise of carve-outs for agricultural workers in her district.
The NJGOP’s chairman Doug Steinhardt noted the irony of $15 backers “carve out” obsession.
“The business community is fighting for these exemptions, because this legislation hurts. It hurts businesses everywhere, in an environment that already punishes the State’s many job creators,” said Steinhardt. “It’s none too ironic that even local governments got in on the backlash, as municipalities across the State complained that government mandated wages will add to their already deepening budget holes. Everyone wants out on government mandated wages, because they work for no one.
“There is this misconception out there that a minimum wage equals a livable wage, but it doesn’t. The added costs of doing business are simply piled onto the State’s consumers, so the unaffordability crisis continues. The NJGOP has amassed petition signatures in opposition to this short sighted plan, with little hope that Trenton’s tone deaf Democrats will listen or save New Jersey’s failing businesses.”
_
