Sweeney, Norcross push $15 minimum wage for N.J. and nation
NJ.com. By Samantha Marcus
...Senate President Stephen Sweeney and U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross on Tuesday announced a joint effort to raise the state and federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.
...Norcross' bill in Congress, he said, would raise the minimum wage 75 cents in the first year and $1 a year until hitting $15 an hour. Future increases would be tied to the rate of inflation. Sweeney's state version would depend on amending the constitution to raise the rate to $9 in the first year and $1 a year until reaching $15 in 2024.
..."This is a net plus," Norcross (D-1st Dist.) said. "They cut down on the benefits that they're collecting from government and they're paying more taxes. And they have the dignity of a job. That is a triple header by anybody's measurement."