Voters May Decide Minimum Wage Hike

The Democrat who leads the New Jersey Senate plans to try a new approach to increase the minimum wage by letting voters decide.

Senate President Steve Sweeney tells The Associated Press he'll introduce a resolution Monday asking voters to decide whether to raise the wage by $1, to $8.25 per hour, and tie future yearly increases to national economic data.

He wants the issue on the November 2013 ballot.

The Assembly, led by Speaker Sheila Oliver, passed a bill in May increasing the minimum wage to $8.50 per hour and creating annual adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index.

But Sweeney says he didn't advance the bill Senate after Gov. Chris Christie indicated he would not sign it because of the automatic annual adjustments.

Business groups oppose a minimum wage increase.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)