NJBIA Statement on $19 Minimum Wage for Port Authority Workers

NJBIA President & CEO Michele N. Siekerka, Esq. issued the following statement today regarding the plan to increase the wages of workers at transportation facilities operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

“A $19 minimum wage will be the highest in the nation, regardless of region or industry. Raising the minimum wage to $19 an hour will have a major impact on the operating costs of these transportation facilities, which will be passed on to the companies and customers who do business with them – especially at Liberty International Airport, which is already the most expensive airport in the nation, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

“Increasing the minimum wage should not be done without considering the cumulative cost to businesses and the impact on New Jersey’s regional competitiveness. To ignore these impacts is to risk losing our businesses to other states as they either relocate entirely or expand elsewhere while stagnating in New Jersey.”

To read a copy of NJBIA Vice President Michael Wallace’s June 11 letter to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey regarding this issue, go here.