Gov. Murphy: Increased minimum wage ‘good for our local economy’

Gov. Phil Murphy was out in Bergen County Tuesday touting his just signed $15 per hour minimum wage law.

Murphy and Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco visited New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus. The medical facility announced that it would immediately start paying its employees $15 per hour.

Tedesco himself raised the minimum wage for county employees to $15 per hour in 2017.

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Murphy said that their willingness to change so quickly shows that raising the minimum wage was the right move for New Jersey.

"This is not isolated. Just because we raise the minimum wage - People aren't going to put that away in some hermetically sealed box. They're gonna spend it,” said the governor. “They're going to go to a pizzeria or go to the movies or go bowling. That's good for not just themselves and their families and their loved ones, but it's good for our local economy as well."

Under the new law, New Jersey’s minimum wage will increase to $10 per hour this July. The wage will then increase by $1 every January until reaching $15 per hour in 2024.