Watson Coleman Applauds New Jersey Agreement on Raising the Minimum Wage

Washington, DC (January 17, 2019) — Following news that New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy had reached an agreement to raise New Jersey’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2024 Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) released the following statement:

“New Jersey has just made a tremendous leap forward for working families trying to make ends meet. The fact of the matter is you cannot support a family at $8.85 an hour, and you certainly can’t support one at the national minimum of $7.25. At those levels, workers are choosing between rent and groceries, car payments and hospital bills, school uniforms and health insurance. It’s neither livable nor sustainable.

“This agreement to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2024 won’t just help workers, it will lift our entire economy by allowing these individuals to be consumers again. $15 an hour means workers can afford the goods and services offered by New Jersey businesses. It means more customers at the small businesses on our mainstreets. It means more of our communities thrive. I applaud Governor Murphy, Senate President Sweeney, and Assembly Speaker Coughlin for their tireless work on this and look forward to once again having New Jersey as a model for my work at the federal level.”