Make your voice Heard! Say NO to RTW Laws! By Clicking Here, you can email your State Senator & House Representative by simply entering your Zip Code.  There is a sample letter already written for you that you can modify or you can write your own if you wish. It takes less than one minute and can really make a difference. Make your voice heard now by Clicking Here!

There will be an upcoming rally to protest against Right-To-Work legislation. Are you interested in having us contact you when volunteers are needed and/or info on the upcoming rally and other RTW updates? If so, Please Click Here to be put on our “Contact Me” list today. 

Update---Feb. 25, 2015- HB75 passes House on a party line vote after contentious public hearings

HB75, the controversial “right to work” bill, passed out of the House on a largely party line vote despite 3 hours of testimony disparaging the legislation by Representatives in support of working families. The version of the bill presented on the House floor contained amendments to include a minor minimum wage raise and the creation of a “training wage,” which detractors had been criticizing as insufficient since an $8/hour wage still leaves minimum wage earners below the poverty line. HB75 now moves on to the Senate.

Feb 19, 2015- HB 75 now has a minimum wage portion added by Rep. Nate Gentry that proposes a .50 raise to $8.00 an hour with a training wage of $7.50 an hour for six months. This addition has caused, the supporters of the Bill, a problem for the unfriendly to Labor legislators because they feel the need to vote on the two issues separately. So, HB 75 has been postponed till next week. Sign up on the "Contact Me" list to get updates for the upcoming Protest Rally at the Capital. 

Senate Democrats unveiled a Jobs Package today that they are calling “Ready to Work”.  In the press conference, Democratic Senate leaders and members stated opposition to “Right to Work”. “It’s a cheap political trick to try to divide people in this great state,” said Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen.Read an article about it here.

Feb 14th, 2015- HB75 passed the House Judiciary Committee, 7 to 6. The Bill will now go the House Floor to be voted on by the full House of Representatives. 

Feb 12, 2015- There have been interesting developments today in Santa Fe.  The House Judiciary is meeting tomorrow to discuss and vote on HB 75.  This is continuation of the hearing Tuesday, where many of you and your members spoke in opposition to this terrible bill. 

Today the House Judiciary Committee released a new proposed substitute amendment reverting to the bill as originally introduced but adding a minimum wage provision.  This is a blatant political ploy by House Republicans to try to divide all of those fighting for the working families of New Mexico.  This transparent act will not fool us or our progressive partners working to improve the lives of working families in New Mexico.  The so-called "right to work" bill now will contain a totally unrelated (and therefore unconstitutional) provision that would allow employers to pay BELOW the minimum wage for employees in their first six months at each job.  

The committee will hear testimony on the minimum wage provision tomorrow, (testimony on right to work was on Tuesday) before discussing and voting on the bill.

• The increase is insufficient and will leave hard working families far below the poverty line.
• The training wage is designed for employers to abuse, so they never have to pay an increase.  It leaves workers more vulnerable than they are now. 

Tying the increase to a bill that undermines workers' right to organize and stand up for their own interests’ only shows that the sponsors don't care about working families. 

Feb 10, 2015-  House Judiciary Hearing Today

The hearing began late due to 2 reasons: First, the crowd was so large that they moved the hearing to the House Chamber; Second, Rep. Roch offered a substitute for HB 75.  The substitute is currently being analyzed and we will update you with what it means, but it seems to do 2 things, eliminate hiring halls for private sector unions and say that Public Sector Unions don’t have to represent in any way people who aren’t members.  Initial research indicates this may be a new version of the ALEC RTW proposal.

Here is the Albuquerque Journal Story on the Substitute bill:

http://www.abqjournal.com/539680/politics/changes-to-right-to-work-bill-could-shift-union-landscape.html

The large crowd was filled with many people in opposition to the bill, speaking to the committee about this unfair, unnecessary bill that is terrible for New Mexico’s Middle Class.  The testimony went on until 7:45pm.  The committee then postponed discussion, further amendments and voting until Friday, 2/13 at 1:30pm in room 309.

Our field program continued today with phone calls to targeted Senate Districts and canvassing to generate handwritten letters.  Thanks to many of you and your members for attending and speaking out to the House Judiciary Committee today.

Feb 7th, 2015- Thank you to all the volunteers that came out today to help stuff envelops about RTW. Click Here to view the list of volunteers 

Feb 6th, 2015- HB 75 is scheduled to be heard in the Judiciary Committee on Monday February 9th, 2015.

Jan 29^th, 2015- Today the House Business and Employment Committee voted 8-5, largely along party lines, to approve “right-to-work” bill HB 75 called the “Employee Preference Act,” despite a five-hour hearing of testimony from 51 people who spoke against the bill, while only 13 people, mainly business associations and chambers of commerce leaders, spoke in favor the bill. It was also pointed out publicly there was not a single Union worker at the hearing voicing interest in the bill or wanting to “opt-out” of a Union, but the committee voted in favor of it anyway.  

The proposal now goes to the House Judiciary Committee for a vote then (if passed) to the full House, now under Republican control for the first time in 60 years.

Everyone should contact your State Senator & House Representative today and ask them to oppose “Right to Work” bills like the “Employee Preference Act” and other anti-worker bills and measures moving through the state legislature. They need to hear from you! 

By Clicking Here, you can email your State Senator & House Representative by simply entering your Zip Code.  There is a sample letter already written for you that you can modify or you can write your own if you wish. It takes less than one minute and can really make a difference. Make your voice heard now by Clicking Here!

If you’re not sure what RTW is, or why it’s bad, Click Here to educate yourself on what's going on in NM. 

Are you interested in having us contact you when volunteers are needed to help fight RTW? Please Click Here to be put on our “Contact Me” list today.