Vitale Praises New $15 Minimum Wage Law

TRENTON – Senator Joe Vitale, a cosponsor of the legislation (S-15/A-15) increasing the state’s minimum wage to $15 issued the following statement today after Governor Phil Murphy signed the bill into law:

“This will put New Jersey on a steady path to a $15 minimum wage, giving lower wage workers a raise they need and deserve. Raising the minimum wage means raising the living wage, giving hard working people a greater ability to support themselves and their families and to improve their standard of living.

“Trying to pay a heating bill, fill a prescription or simply buy groceries can be an incredible challenge for those earning a low wage. No one who works full time should live in poverty and every worker deserves the right to build a better life.

“Many minimum wage workers are often employed in service jobs in the healthcare sector that are vital to the care of the most vulnerable and in jobs that serve the public. They deserve a fair wage that respects the dignity of their labor and the value of their work.

“We hope that these increases will have an upward ripple effect that boosts the pay of other workers up the wage scale. The difference between the wealthy and working people has grown too wide for a diverse economy that should treat its workers with greater equality. Higher wages will provide economic and social benefits.”