In the wake of a new business coalition formed to fight any hike in the minimum wage, Jersey City’s done it. Effective immediately some 500 municipal workers get the raise. Mayor Steve Fulop signed the executive order indicating the wage hike has already been factored in to the budget and won’t cost taxpayers an extra dime. He spoke with NJTV News Anchor Mary Alice Williams.
Williams: How’s that going to work?
Fulop: We’ve been advocating for this for several months now since the start of the conversation in October. I’m a big believer that you need to practice what you preach. As we grow the rateable base in the city we plan to make sure that we’re leading from the front, that all municipal employees will be at $15 minimum wage.
Williams: You’re leading from the front, you’re the first city in the state of New Jersey to do this. If it broadens to the rest of Jersey City, will businesses flee as they suggest?
Fulop: I certainly understand better than most the challenges that exist with it because we have to balance a budget to make sure that we can sustain it and operate the city government without costing us employee head count and we were able to manage it. We think that ultimately it increases morale. It is the right thing to do. Experts say to sustain a family in this region you need to work 13 hours per day, seven days per week and I think we all recognize that that’s not realistic.
Williams: The legislative leaders — Steve Sweeney and Vincent Prieto — have a compromise bill that would raise the minimum wage to $15 over time starting by 2021. If Gov. Christie vetoes that they’re prepared to find a way to get it on the ballot in 2017. What do you think of that?
Fulop: I think the initial proposal was 2024 and they’ve scaled it back to 2021 which I think is still not fast enough. I think families are struggling in New Jersey. I think that there’s an opportunity to really move this forward and for New Jersey for once and for all to be at the forefront. When you look at issues like marriage equality, when you look at issues like paid sick leave, when you look at DREAMers, important issues for working families, New Jersey has always failed to ultimately be the leader when the opportunity was there and I think we can change that with the minimum wage.
Williams: Are we hearing the beginning of a gubernatorial campaign speech here? Are you going to have this in your platform?
Fulop: I don’t know if I’m going to have a platform. I don’t know if I’m running, but the reality is that I think it’s an important issue. I think anybody who’s running for governor, myself included if I go down that road, would say that advocating for this issue is important. You see the wealth gap increasing in the state and unfortunately in today’s world minimum wage isn’t only the teenager working at a fast food place. There are a lot of families that unfortunately are working on minimum wage and this is a small step to make sure that they can live in New Jersey.
Williams: I’m going to change the subject on you. Gov. Christie’s endorsement of Donald Trump, what do you think?
Fulop: I disagree with Donald Trump on countless issues; on his comments on New Jersey, his comments on Jersey City, on the Muslim community, on the Hispanic community, on how he plans on growing the economy, so what do I think? I think it’s opportunistic is what I think, politically, and I don’t think it serves the residents of New Jersey in the best way possible.
Williams: I’m going to swing back to the beginning. How are you raising the minimum wage without any effect on the taxpayers? Without raising taxes?
Fulop: We haven’t had a tax increase in Jersey City in the three years that I’ve been there. The reason is that we are able to increase the rateable base by increasing small business opportunities, there are job starts, employment opportunities. We’re leading the state of New Jersey in rateable increase. We are building, we are growing, we are doing it smartly and that creates an opportunity to do some progressive and innovative things without hurting taxpayers. So, we factor this into our budget and we’re excited about it. We think we’re doing the right thing.
Williams: And businesses are not going to run away?
Fulop: Look, I think that businesses will always say that the sky is falling. The same thing with paid sick leave. We were the first in the state to implement it. It’s more than just talk — we implemented it — and it hasn’t hurt us at all. We think that ultimately a living wage for all employees in the state of New Jersey is important for everybody and corporations will ultimately benefit.