Thanks to the work of WEC and many allies in the Fight for $15 coalition, New Jersey is now the fourth state in the nation to have a $15 minimum wage by 2024. We want to thank Governor Phil Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin for improving the lives of one million low-wage workers in New Jersey. For decades the real wages of lower-income workers in the United States have been stagnant. The result has been the high social cost of food insecurity, poverty, and difficulty in access to healthcare. This bold step from New Jersey policy makers is an affirmation that a living wage is an indispensable part of creating healthy, sustainable communities in the Garden State.
While we are disappointed that farmworkers and tipped workers are not guaranteed this crucial right, and that small business employees and seasonal workers must wait longer to achieve a living wage, we are glad that due to the advocacy of teen workers and the Fight for $15 coalition, workers under 18 will not be left behind from receiving a living wage. WEC is proud of the educational work we put in on this topic, and proud to have stood with our partners and advocates in the Fight for $15 to achieve this victory.
WEC will continue advocating, with our allies for economic justice, for a living wage for all workers, while celebrating this enormous victory for the majority of New Jersey’s workers today.
