‘We need an actual living wage if we’re to lift families out of poverty’
(TRENTON) – Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen) released the following statement Friday on New Jersey’s paltry 6-cent increase in the minimum wage, which takes it to just $8.44 per hour starting Jan. 1.
As part of his anti-poverty legislative effort, Prieto sponsored legislation (A-15) to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour and make further increases over a four-year period to $15 per hour. Gov. Christie vetoed the bill, and the Speaker now plans to take the question to the voters:
“As I’ve said before, the current minimum wage law was a good effort, but we clearly need to do more.
“We need an actual living wage if we’re to lift families out of poverty, and this current level isn’t nearly enough.
“That’s why I’ve pushed to increase the minimum wage as a key point of our effort to combat poverty, and it’s why we will continue the fight to help working families earn a decent living by bringing the question to the voters.”