By Maddie Hanna
Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov 5, 2013
Increasing New Jersey's minimum wage now and through annual cost-of-living raises will help workers and boost the economy. Or it will force businesses to increase prices and cut hours, hurting consumers and workers. Through radio ads, pamphlets, and news conferences, dueling campaigns are trying to reach voters about a ballot question that would amend the state constitution to increase the minimum wage by $1, to $8.25 an hour, and tie future increases to the Consumer Price Index. ...
If the measure passes, New Jersey will join 18 states and the District of Columbia that have minimum wages above the federal level. A national nonprofit organization funded partly by the restaurant industry and managed by Washington lobbyist Richard Berman's firm, the Employment Policies Institute, has run television and radio ads against the ballot question ...
Supporters of the ballot question dismiss the arguments as fearmongering by business lobbyists. They say minimum-wage increases have no discernible effect on unemployment levels - but will boost consumer spending. ...
The New Jersey Main Street Alliance, which represents 1,400 small-business owners, released a video last week with owners voicing support for an increase. "That means that I can make more money if people are spending more," one owner says.
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