A constitutional amendment to raise the New Jersey minimum wage to $8.25 per hour, starting on January 1, 2014, was overwhelmingly approved by voters on November 5, 2013 (by a 61 percent to 39 percent margin). The amendment further mandates an automatic yearly increase based on the Consumer Price Index beginning on September 30, 2014. These annual adjustments will take effect every January 1st in perpetuity. Moreover, should the federal minimum wage (presently $7.25 an hour) exceed that of New Jersey’s, the state rate will rise to match its federal counterpart and subsequent CPI increases would be calculated on that higher rate. Read this alert to learn more about the new amendment and its likely impact on employers.

 

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