Christie vetoes bill to raise NJ minimum wage to $15

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Tuesday vetoed a push to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.

{mosads}The legislation would have increased the minimum wage over five years, beginning with a raise to $10.10 an hour next year, according to The Associated Press.

Christie described the minimum wage proposal as the “heavy hand of government” and said it would hurt small businesses.

“All of this sounds great, raising the minimum wage, when you’re spending someone else’s money,” Christie said when announcing his veto at an event at a market in Pennington, N.J.

Christie also called the proposal a “radical increase” and slammed the state’s Democratic legislature, saying it is pandering “to folks who are uninformed because they neither receive the minimum wage nor pay it,” according to philly.com.

Democrats have said they plan to fight for a constitutional amendment to raise the minimum wage.

“The governor’s actions have only served to temporarily thwart a unified effort to raise New Jersey families and provide a much needed boost to our economy,” said Analilia Mejia, director of the left-leaning group New Jersey Working Families Alliance, according to the AP.

State Senate President Steve Sweeney (D) said a constitutional amendment to raise the minimum wage could be on the ballot in the state in 2017.

“It’s going to be a big fight,” Christie said. “Today’s just another round.”

The minimum wage in New Jersey is currently $8.38 an hour. The last time voters approved a raise was in 2013, when it was increased by $1, from $7.25 to $8.25.