Broad Coalition Defends Hudson County (NJ) Living Wage Law in Court Challenge

10/1/2003

From: Amanda Cooper of the Brennan Center for Justice, 212-998-6736

News Advisory:

WHAT: Hearing before the Superior Court of New Jersey in Visiting Homemaker Service of Hudson County v. Hudson County.

This lawsuit is a challenge to Hudson County's "living wage" ordinance, which requires county contractors employing food service, janitorial, unarmed security guards, and health service workers to pay their workers at least $7.73 per hour plus health care benefits.

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 2 at 11 a.m.

WHERE: Brennan Court House, Before Judge Maurice Gallipoli, 583 Newark Ave., Jersey City, NJ

WHO: A broad coalition of church and community groups, represented by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, joins the county in defending the living wage law. The coalition of groups includes the Jubilee Interfaith Organization, the Interfaith Community Organization, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, Legal Services of New Jersey, and New Jersey ACORN.

BACKGROUND: More than 100 localities around the nation have adopted living wage laws aimed at helping hardworking, low-income families make ends meet. The Hudson County ordinance, passed in 1999 and amended in 2003, is being challenged by plaintiff Visiting Homemaker Service, a contractor to the county providing home health care services.

In a "friend of the court" brief filed by the coalition, the Brennan Center details how Hudson County possesses clear authority under the New Jersey Constitution and under state law to determine appropriate wage levels for people who perform services for the county. The lawsuit directly attacks this "home rule power" and poses a real threat to the authority of local communities in New Jersey to make decisions about matters important to their residents. The Brennan Center's brief also gathers recent economic research for the court, and explains that living wage laws have actually been found to improve the quality of services provided to local governments, with little increase in costs.

The Brennan Center's Economic Justice Project seeks to expand access to family-sustaining jobs, thereby combating our nation's widening economic inequality. The Economic Justice Project assists lawmakers and reform coalitions in cities across the country in designing living wage laws and other reform legislation tailored to local needs.

For more information, a copy of the brief or to arrange for an interview, please contact Amanda Cooper at 212-998-6736.