TRENTON – Senator Joseph Coniglio, D-Bergen, made the following statement today following Acting Governor Richard Codey’s first State of the State address:
“Governor Codey set forth today a vision of a state that reaches out to those in most need of help and gives them hope that tomorrow brings a better day.
“I was glad to hear the Governor come out so strongly for an increase in the State’s minimum wage. For so long, New Jersey was a national leader in wages, but in recent years we have failed to stay ahead of the curve. With New Jersey having such a high cost of living, it is important that we now act to make our minimum wage more reflective of what it costs to live in this state.
“This increase in the minimum wage will immediately benefit the 200,000 New Jersey workers earning less that $7.15 per hour and help increase wages for countless others who make just above that amount. When it takes a family more than 150 hours a week at the current minimum wage simply to afford a two-bedroom apartment, this sort of tangible relief cannot come soon enough.
“I look forward to standing side by side with Governor Codey as we fight to pass this overdue increase in the minimum wage and ensure that New Jersey never falls behind the wage curve again.”