New Jersey's minimum wage going up to $11 an hour on January 1, 2020

TRENTON, New Jersey (WPVI) -- New Jersey's minimum wage will go up to $11 an hour on January 1, 2020 as part of the state's five-year phase-in of a $15 hourly minimum wage.

Earlier this year, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed the legislation ratcheting up the state's $8.85 minimum wage, which increased to $10 per hour in July.

The statewide minimum wage will continue to increase by $1 per hour every January 1 until it reaches $15 per hour on January 1, 2024.

New Jersey is one of 24 states that will increase the minimum wage, and more than a dozen cities and counties already have reached $15 an hour.

Seasonal workers and employees at small businesses with five or fewer workers who were exempt from the previous hike over the summer will see an increase to $10.30 for 2020.

The base minimum wage for them will reach $15 per hour by January 1, 2026.

By January 1, 2028, workers in these groups will receive the minimum wage inclusive of inflation adjustments that take place from 2024 to 2028, equalizing the minimum wage with the main cohort of New Jersey workers.

For agricultural workers, the base minimum wage will increase to $12.50 per hour by January 1, 2024, and no later than March 31, 2024, the New Jersey Labor Commissioner and Secretary of Agriculture will jointly decide whether to recommend that the minimum wage for agricultural workers increase to $15 per hour by January 1, 2027, as specified in the bill.

If they cannot come to an agreement, a third member, appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, will break the tie. If there is a recommendation to disapprove of the scheduled increases or suggest an alternative pathway, the Legislature will have the ability to implement that recommendation by passage of a concurrent resolution.

The minimum wage for tipped workers will climb from $2.63 an hour to $3.13 an hour.