Right-To-Work Compromise Passes House Floor In Bipartisan Vote

Bill Also Raises Minimum Wage To $8

Santa Fe, NM Tonight, the New Mexico House of Representatives passed commonsense, jobcreating legislation that will raise the minimum wage to $8 per hour and give workers the right to
choose whether they financially contribute to a union. The legislation which passed by a
bipartisan vote of 37-30 and will now head to the Senate is the result of hours of debate and a
compromise that not only creates a right-to-work law, but also raises the minimum wage to the
third highest in the region.
A vast majority of New Mexicans agree that our workers should never have to financially
contribute to a union as a condition of employment, said Rep. Dennis Roch, the bills sponsor.
Tonight, we stood with New Mexico workers. It is my hope that the Senate will, too.
In addition to giving workers the freedom to choose whether they financially contribute to a
union, the legislation also makes New Mexicos business climate more competitive. States with
similar protections are doing better than states without them. According to the Bureau of
Economic Analysis, right-to-work states saw a 43 percent gain in total employment between
1990 and 2011. States without the protection gained just about 19 percent.
One study found that had New Mexico become a right-to-work state in 1980, employment would
have been around 21 percent higher in 2011.
Protecting workers from having to financially contribute to a union against their will has
bipartisan support across the state. A recent Albuquerque Journal poll found that 60 percent of
New Mexicans support a right-to-work law. In addition, a poll found that a majority of New
Mexicans also support raising the minimum wage.
We were elected to put politics aside and find common ground on important issues, said Rep.
Nate Gentry, who introduced the minimum wage compromise amendment. Tonight, we brought
home a win for New Mexicos families.
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