West New York increases minimum wage for municipal employees to $15

The West New York Board of Commissioners passed an ordinance last night that will raise the minimum wage for municipal employees to $15 an hour; the law is similar to one that recently passed in Jersey City raising the municipal employee minimum wage there to $17 an hour.

“The commissioners and I are proud to take this important step that puts West New York on the forefront of ensuring that our employees earn a living wage and are able to take care of their families in the same way that they take care of our community every day,” West New York Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez said in a statement.

Statewide, the minimum wage won’t reach $15 until 2024, per a bill signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy that phased in a minimum wage increase over the course of several years. The current state minimum wage is $12, which is what it will for now remain for non-municipal employees in West New York.