Minimum wage hike bill advances in NJ

TRENTON, N.J. — Legislation that would boost New Jersey's minimum wage for the first time in three years was advanced by a Senate Labor panel on March 8. The bill making its way through both houses of the Legislature would raise the state's minimum wage by $1.25 to $8.50 per hour. The measure would tie future annual wage increases to Consumer Price Index data. Derrick Canty, a 24-year-old Newark resident who makes $8 per hour loading supplies onto airplanes at Newark Liberty International Airport, told lawmakers he struggles every month to pay his $650 rent and other bills. New Jersey Chamber of Commerce spokesman Michael Egenton says business owners will raise prices or scale back employee hours if forced to pay more in salaries. Politicians in New York and Connecticut are also trying to increase their wage floor.