New Jersey Adds Minimum Wage with Automatic Increases to Its Constitution

On November 5, New Jersey became the fifth state to add a minimum wage to its state constitution with 61 percent of voters supporting the ballot question. This was a hotly contested issue as business groups and unions spent significant money and time advocating for their respective positions. The constitutional amendment raises the state minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.25 an hour and sets automatic increases which are tied into the rate of inflation starting in January 2014. New Jersey is now the fifth state to add a minimum wage to its constitution — Florida, Colorado, Nevada, and Ohio already have such provisions — and the 11th state in the country that has automatic increases to the minimum wage.