TRENTON, NJ - Paterson Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter renewed her call for an increased minimum wage for workers that rely on tips for their pay.

Calling them a "vulnerable population," Sumter said at a Monday press conference at the New Jersey State House that of tipped workers 63.1 percent are women, 45 percent are non-white, nine percent are white in poverty, and two-thirds have only a high school eduction or less.

"This is an equality issue," Sumter declared flanked by several of her colleagues in the New Jersey General Assembly.

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While the current minimum wage for most workers in New Jersey is $8.60 per hour, and efforts to raise that to $15 an hour, the legally mandated minimum wage for tipped workers stands at just $2.13 an hour.

Governor Phil Murphy commended Sumter and other co-sponsors of the legislation for their efforts to “ensure a fair and livable wage for all working New Jerseyans," continuing to say the increase wage will mean that "workers will have more money to raise their quality of life and secure a better future for their families."