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WORST STORMS OF
THE JERSEY SHORE

Superstorm Sandy left an

indelible mark. But the
state also has had its share
of other deadly storms
that have destroyed lives
and property and
mutilated beaches

1944

1992

1962
1944

2012
1992

1962

1992

1944
1944

1944

2012

2012

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1992

KALA KACHMAR @NEWSQUIP

Images of floating cars, flattened coastal land where houses once stood and piers ripped to shreds are seared into the minds of the millions
of people affected by superstorm Sandy three years ago. It was the storm that caused the most monetary damage and took the most lives in
New Jerseys storm history. But the Garden State has had its share of other deadly storms that have wreaked havoc at the Shore, destroying lives and property and mutilating beaches. Some historians and weather experts argue that earlier storms were even more dangerous because weather predictions werent as advanced. They struck while too many had their guards down. See STORMS, Page 4A

No boost for minimum wage this year

BOB JORDAN @BOBJORDANAPP

TRENTON - Minimum-wage workers in 14 states are

celebrating New Years Day raises, but not in New Jersey, where there are unintended consequences from a
constitutional amendment tying future increases to the
rate of inflation.
Backers of the 2013 amendment heralded the immediate $1 an hour raise it created and the expected future
automatic increases every Jan. 1. But New Jerseys
minimum wage is staying at $8.38 an hour in 2016 because an inflation index didnt increase.
That means New Jerseys lowest-paid workers are
lagging compared with the $10 minimum taking effect
for 2016 in Massachusetts and California and the phas-

Analysts say gas will remain a bargain in 2016, but sharp price
fluctuations, especially seasonal, still expected. STORY, 1B

ing in of $15 minimums in several large cities. New

York is getting a $9 minimum, up from $8.75. Pennsylvania is remaining at $7.25.
New Jersey legislators took a strong first step by
empowering voters to raise the minimum wage in 2013.
But the simple fact is that an hourly wage of $8.38 wont
even cover the basics in New Jersey, much less sustain
a family, said Rob Duffey, spokesman for the advocacy group New Jersey Working Families.
Duffey said a higher minimum has a ripple effect,
pushing pay for other hourly workers higher.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, but
state and local rates prevail if higher.

This lack of a bump in the wage floor

is a sobering reminder that too many
working New Jerseyans are being left
behind due to an inadequate minimum
wage.
JON WHITEN,
NEW JERSEY POLICY PERSPECTIVE, A LIBERAL RESEARCH GROUP

See WAGES, Page 12A

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