Dozens of women leaders from labor and community groups joined with state, county and local elected officials at the Statehouse today to support raising New Jersey’s minimum wage and to commemorate Women’s Equality Day—the day the 19th Amendment was certified, granting women the right to vote. Speakers explained how approving the minimum wage ballot question would advance the fight for women’s equality in New Jersey and help to close the opportunity gap for thousands of women in the state who struggle to make ends meet in minimum wage jobs. Out of all minimum wage workers in New Jersey, some 60% of them are women.

“Every day in my city, I see workers earning the minimum wage to support their families. Many of the workers are female and female heads of households. It’s incredibly important that New Jersey support the ballot question to raise New Jersey’s minimum wage. It provides an annual cost-of-living adjustment to keep pace with the increasing cost of basic necessities and is a step in the right direction,” says Camden City Mayor Dana Redd.

Laurel Brennan, secretary-treasurer of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, says:

Why is this necessary now? Because low-income families, single parents and students have worked incredibly hard for too long and still earn less than a livable wage. An individual working a full-time job at minimum wage barely earns $15,000 a year before taxes. The hardworking citizens of the Garden State deserve a chance to earn their fair share.

“It is immoral that we allow so many workers to live on $7.25 an hour. That is why I support raising New Jersey’s minimum wage. It will improve the economy because increased wages will be spent locally on groceries, clothes and other staples to improve the quality of life for those who earn the least among us in New Jersey,” says state Sen. Barbara Buono.

Working Families United for New Jersey Inc. is a nonpartisan statewide grassroots coalition committed to engaging the public in the democratic process and advancing progressive policies to promote social and economic justice for all New Jersey families. The coalition’s “Raise the Wage” campaign, which has 253 supporting organizations to date, is mobilizing and educating New Jersey voters on the importance of approving the minimum wage ballot question this Nov. 5, which would raise New Jersey’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.25 per hour and include an annual cost-of-living adjustment.