New Jersey minimum wage will increase next year

TRENTON -- New Jersey's minimum wage, a matter of dispute between Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democratic Legislature, will go up six cents on Jan. 1 to $8.44 an hour, according to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

It will be New Jerseyans' first increase since January 2015, when it increased from $8.25 an hour to the current $8.38. The minimum wage did not increase this year because there was no rise in the state's cost of living.

The six-cent hike reflects a small bump in the consumer price index, which by constitutional amendment is used to set the minimum wage each year.

Proponents of a $15 minimum wage said the adjustment is helpful but far from satisfies low-income workers' need for a living wage.

Read more: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/10/nj_minimum_wage_to_increase_to_844_on_jan_1.html