Politics

Unions Concerned About Republicans Winning New Mexico House

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Labor unions fear that if Republicans win a majority in the lower house of New Mexico’s legislature, they will push for a right-to-work state.

Albuquerque Business First reports that Democrats have only a three-seat majority in the New Mexico House of Representatives and if they lose those seats, the Republicans are more than likely going to make right-to-work a primary issue.

Beverlee McClure of the New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry has said that New Mexico’s lack of right-to-work policies hurt the state’s ability to recruit businesses.

Carter Bundy, the political and legislative director for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, disagrees saying that such a claim is not true.

Bundy told the Albuquerque Business First that right-to-work is more an issue for Republicans and more “a nonissue for most companies.”

“We fight right to work every year, ” Bundy went onto say.

“They’re going gangbusters. Right to work is not what drives companies to places. Its quality of life,” Bundy continued “For companies that rely on cheap labor and bad safety standards, sure. For those companies, Texas is great. But those aren’t good jobs anyhow. People who get those jobs still end up on government assistance.”

“If you want a race to the bottom, where everyone gets minimum wage or just above it, that’s how you do it,” Bundy claimed, “everywhere that has right to work sees lower incomes, lower education levels, lower healthcare levels. It’s a quick a path to the third world.”

If Republicans do become the majority in the New Mexico House of Representatives next session any right-to-work legislation would still face an uphill battle in the Senate.

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