Minimum wage increasing in New Jersey, Delaware in 2022

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Hourly employees in New Jersey and Delaware will get a raise in the new year, but not in Pennsylvania.

Delaware

The minimum wage in Delaware increases from $9.25 to $10.50 an hour starting Jan. 1, 2022.

Workers will see a gradual raise each year until $15 is reached in 2025.

Governor John Carney signed the legislation to increase Delaware's minimum wage in July.

"Delawareans who go to work full time shouldn't be living in poverty," Carney said in a press release at the time. "I am proud to sign Senate Bill 15 today, gradually increasing the minimum wage to $15. Thank you to Senator Walsh and Representative Brady for their leadership, other members of the General Assembly, Union advocates, and everyone else striving to make Delaware the best place to live, work and raise a family."

New Jersey

In New Jersey, the minimum wage increases $1 to $13 an hour for most employees on Jan. 1, 2022, and $15 by 2024.

The increase is part of legislation that was signed by Governor Phil Murphy in February 2019.

Under the law, according to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, seasonal and small employers were given until 2026 to reach $15 per hour to lessen the impact on their businesses. The minimum hourly wage for these employees will increase to $11.90 an hour on Jan. 1, up from $11.10.

NJDOL says agricultural workers are guided by a separate minimum wage timetable and were given until 2027 to reach the $15 an hour minimum wage. Employees who work on a farm for an hourly or piece-rate wage will see their minimum hourly wage increase to $11.05, up from $10.44.

Long-term care facility direct care staff will see their minimum wage rise by $1 to $16 an hour.

NJDOL says tipped workers will also see their minimum cash wage rise by $1 to $5.13 an hour, with employers able to claim a $7.87 tip credit. If the minimum cash wage plus an employee's tips do not equal at least the state minimum wage, then the employer must pay the employee the difference.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania remains at $7.25 an hour, the same as the federal standard.

In a press release last week, Governor Tom Wolf issued a statement to the state General Assembly on raising the state's minimum wage.

"Pennsylvania's food service, retail and social services workers have deserved a minimum wage hike for many years, but today the need is even more urgent. Millions of Pennsylvanians - many of them the frontline workers we called heroes in the early days of the pandemic - are struggling to support their families on hourly wages under $15," Wolf said. "The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the global economy, and we see that reflected in a very reasonable reluctance of workers to take low-wage jobs in the midst of rising inflation."

Wolf said proposed bills would increase Pennsylvania's minimum wage to $12 an hour, with a gradual increase to $15.

"Parents with young children literally cannot afford to work these jobs if the cost of child care eclipses their paycheck. I'm urging the General Assembly to pass legislation that increases Pennsylvania's minimum wage to $12 an hour and creates a pathway to $15," Wolf said.