By Michael L. Diamond
Asbury Park Press, Dec. 30, 2019
New Jersey's minimum wage for most businesses will rise to $11 an hour from $10 beginning Jan. 1 — Wednesday, the next step on its climb to $15 in 2024. ... The minimum wage hike started July 1 in a bid by Gov. Phil Murphy to jump-start the wages of low-paid workers in a state that has a high cost of living. One recent report found nearly 40% of New Jerseyans couldn't afford basic needs. ...
But some big New Jersey employers, including Amazon, already pay at least $15 an hour. And other employers say the higher minimum wage has helped them improve productivity.
ECOS, a Cypress, California-based company with a manufacturing plant in Parsippany, makes ecologically friendly cleaning products. It increased its minimum wage to $17 an hour in 2014 and saw its voluntary turnover fall by 50%.
"Paying a strong minimum wage has strengthened our company and improved our competitive advantage in the marketplace,” Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, ECOS' president and chief executive officer, said. ...