We are very disappointed in what was introduced this morning by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. It fails to undo a practice that disproportionately hurts people of color and women. Carve outs are by definition blatant discrimination. The appropriate legislation, fiscally and morally, is $15 for all workers in no more than 5 years, which would help over 1 million New Jersey workers and inject nearly $4 billion into our communities and local economies. 

In an era of rampant income inequality, when low-income and hard-working black and brown families are struggling to afford the most basic of needs, this legislation falls far short.In 2016, both houses of the legislature voted for a clean $15 minimum wage bill. After supporting legislation that did not include carve outs or extended phase-ins for specific sectors of workers, it is disappointing to see them now opting to break up workers in New Jersey and deem that the labor of some is less valuable than the labor of others.

Some of the most impoverished New Jerseyans work in the industries that are being carved out. They are being denied full and timely participation in the minimum wage increase. By carving out these sectors of workers, this legislation fails to lift them out of poverty and fails to decrease the wage gap. From a moral perspective this bill does little to fulfill what justice requires. It allows some workers to be valued more than others.

Deuteronomy 24:14-15 implores us to pay fair wages equally regardless of the work performed, class, religion, race, and to do so in a timely fashion. This bill in its current form falls short of what God requires. On behalf of many in the faith community as well as the working poor, I ask that our leaders do the just thing and pass a minimum wage bill that does not exclude anyone!