New Mexico had one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation in recent months. You’d think that Gov. Susana Martinez and state legislators would focus on getting New Mexicans back to work and protecting good jobs.
But they’re doing just the opposite. This week, the state House began debate on a bill that would eliminate prevailing wage laws for construction workers. This bill will lower the wages of hardworking New Mexicans, make it easier for construction companies to hire out-of-state workers for taxpayer-funded projects and make our schools, bridges and roads less safe and cost more.
The New Mexico House is expected to pass this bill, but we think we have a good shot at stopping it from moving out of the state Senate.
Send an email to your senator today and ask them to vote against any bill that would eliminate prevailing wage laws.
This one is pretty simple. Prevailing wage laws help to ensure that local workers, whose families shop and support local businesses in our communities, are hired to build our schools, bridges and other taxpayer-funded projects.
But if these laws are repealed, less-skilled, out-of-state construction workers will be brought in to do this work, which won’t save our communities any money—in many cases, it costs more—because they won’t be getting the job done right the first time. Also, having less-skilled workers do these jobs would make the schools, bridges and roads we use every day less safe.
That’s not what our families and working people deserve.
Contact your senator today and ask them to protect existing prevailing wage laws.
