Title
Dept/ Agency: Offices of Municipal Council/City Clerk
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Supporting Ballot Question #2
Purpose: Urging voters in the City of Newark to vote in support of Ballot Question #2 on the November 5, 2013 General Election Ballot seeking an increase in the Minimum Wage.
Additional Information:
Sponsor: Council Member Mildred C. Crump
body
WHEREAS, the federal minimum wage was signed into law in 1938 by President Franklin Roosevelt, at the height of the Great Depression; and
WHEREAS, the minimum wage increases consumer purchasing power, increases workers' standards of living, reduces poverty, and stimulates the economy; and
WHEREAS, the cost of living in New Jersey continues to rise, yet there has been no state legislative action approved to increase the minimum wage since 2005; and
WHEREAS, unlike New Jersey, 19 other states and the District of Columbia currently maintain a minimum wage above the federal rate of $7.25; and
WHEREAS, 10 states provide for the annual adjustment of their minimum wage to ensure that the real value of the lowest paid workers' wages does not shrink as normal costs of living go up, and four of these states have amended their constitutions to do so; and
WHEREAS, according to New Jersey Policy Perspective, 429,000 workers in New Jersey earn at or near the minimum wage, more than 350,000 are over the age of 20, 250,000 are women, 79,000 are men, 154,000 are Hispanic, 69,000 are Black and 31,000 are Asian; and
WHEREAS, because Governor Chris Christie vetoed a minimum wage increase this year, the state legislature voted to place the question before voters on the November 5, 2013 ballot to raise the minimum wage and adjust it annually according to the consumer price index; and
WHEREAS, by raising the standard of living through a higher minimum wage, New Jersey would likely realize various societal benefits such as improved education, safer communities, greater opportunity for upward mobility, and more financial stability for families; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago Federal Reserve Bank conducted a study in 2011 that estimates that for every dollar increase in the minimum wage, there is $2,800 in new consumer spending by that household the following year, this revenue is injected into the local economy which translates into greater consumer demand for local goods and services, thereby requiring employers to hire additional workers to meet this demand which translates into job creation.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT:
we, the governing body urge the residents of our community to vote yes on Ballot Question #2 to Raise New Jersey's minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.25 an hour and adjust annually based on the Consumer Price Index to reflect the economic conditions facing New Jersey workers and to ensure that New Jersey's minimum wage is not a poverty wage but is a fair wage for workers.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges voters in the City of Newark to vote yes on Ballot Question #2 on the ballot for the General Election of November 5, 2013 to support an increase in the minimum wage in the State of New Jersey.