$15 An Hour Minimum Wage In New Jersey? Maybe Not For Everyone
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy's path to election was laden with a lot of promises. Among them, a push for a $15 an hour minimum wage. Now there are signs that promise might not be fulfilled for everyone.
There are suggestions farm workers might not be included in the package Murphy works out with fellow Democrats leading the legislature. In fact, most states carve out a smaller minimum wage for farm workers.
Asked about the possibility at an event in Atlantic City this week, the Governor offered this response to KYW Newsradio.
"It's something conceptually only that we've spoken about," Murphy said. "When I say we, Senate President, Majority Leader, the Speaker, the Majority Leader in the Assembly and our team. We've had good discussions but we're still at the conceptual level."
Senate President Steve Sweeney suggests the devil is in the details, and those details are still being worked out.
"We're not going up a dollar now. We're going to almost double the minimum wage," Sweeney (D-Gloucester County) said. "That requires a much more thorough discussion into the weeds, into the details which the governor and I and the Speaker, because there's another player in this play too, have to have a sit down on and see where we go."
Things may become clearer by the time the governor presents his budget next month.
