Recent protests by fast-food workers throughout the nation have led to a renewed discussion of the minimum wage and what constitutes an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work. While the federal minimum wage remains $7.25 per hour, individual states are free to impose higher minimum wage requirements. New Jersey is among the states ready to make such a move.
Some states have higher minimum wages than those set by federal law, while others have the same rate, a lower rate or none at all.
On Nov. 5, New Jersey voters approved a constitutional amendment raising the minimum wage to $8.25 an hour from $7.25. The amendment also provide for annual automatic cost of living increases. Accomplishing the change by way of a constitutional amendment rather than by statute offers several advantages:
Despite the success of the measure, wage and hour attorneys in New Jersey must stand ready to help workers whose employers flout the law.