On a recent episode of "Minding Your Business" on News 12+, Elissa Frank, Vice President of Government Affairs at the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA), and Daniel Klim, CEO of the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association, expressed their opposition to a proposed bill. This bill aims to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers in New Jersey.
Klim voiced concerns about the potential impact of the bill. "Minimum wage at the state level is $15.49. The minimum wage for tipped workers at the state level is $5.62. So this bill proposes bringing up those tipped workers to the $15.49, which would be about a 200% [increase in] labor cost," Klim said. He added, "And, unfortunately, it’s just not sustainable in the industry."
Klim emphasized the industry's consensus on the matter, stating, "We have 20,000 restaurants, 375,000 employees; no one came to our office and said we need to change this." He further asserted, "The system works. It’s worked for decades. And when you have both management and employment on the same page saying ‘we don’t want this,’ we really need to take a look at the bill."
"Minding Your Business," the NJBIA's weekly TV program, has received seven Telly Awards in the past three years, including a gold award in 2024 in the Interview & Talk Show category.
