In The News

"While many people know Peter J. McGuire is the ‘Father of Labor Day,’ they don’t often know he lived in Camden and was buried in Pennsauken," said Norcross, a union electrician by trade.

Norcross said McGuire fought for working families and understood the American workforce is "our greatest asset," adding that designating his memorial as a historic landmark is the least that can be done to honor and remember him.

"I am humbled that as just a kid from Pennsauken, I’m in a position to properly memorialize my hometown hero," said Norcross.

Labor Day is a time to celebrate America’s workers, and, this year, while we do that, we should also look at the realities facing our country’s hardworking men and women.

While corporate bosses have been getting big raises and bigger bonuses for decades, wages for workers have been stagnant. This coincides with the loss of a voice in the workplace as union membership has declined. For some in the top 1 percent, these may seem like small concerns, but I know firsthand that they are huge problems for rank-and-file workers. I was an electrician for decades and eventually became a business agent for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 351, as well as president of the Southern New Jersey AFL-CIO.

The final bill setting U.S. defense policy protects Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, the state's second largest employer, from a new round of base closings has cleared the House.

The House on Thursday passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which sets Congress' defense priorities for the 12 months beginning Oct. 1 and includes $716 billion in military spending. The final bill was negotiated with the Senate, which is expected to clear the legislation.

The best social program is a good job with fair wages and the dignity that comes with it.

Last week, Governor Murphy reiterated that raising the state minimum wage to $15 an hour is one of his top three legislative priorities this year, and I not only applaud his strong stance, but urge my friends in the state legislature and my colleagues in Congress to heed our shared call to raise wages.

I've spent my life fighting for good pay for workers, and spent years working as an electrician installing and restoring power for New Jersey homes, businesses and industrial sites. Raising wages for hardworking families is the first issue I talked to the governor and the new team in Trenton about. In fact, we brought together Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and Assembly Leader Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, for their first joint public appearance after last year's election to call for a $15 minimum wage.

“I support the unanimous conclusion of America's intelligence community that Russia hacked the 2016 U.S. presidential election,” Norcross, a Democrat from Camden, said on Twitter. “This is not a partisan issue, we must treat it as a serious national security breach & take action to protect the very fabric of our democracy.