Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signs House Bill 364 Thursday at the Round House. Courtesy photo
STATE News:
Santa Fe – The New Mexico Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO released the following statement:
“New Mexico’s Public Employees Bargaining Act (PEBA), enacted in 2003, established a framework for collaborative relationships between State and local governments, institutions of higher education and local public-school districts and their public servants. In the intervening seventeen years, New Mexico’s PEBA was not amended to reflect best practices and evolving labor law standards.
House Bill 364 modernizes PEBA and provides public sector employers and employees with the currently used tools necessary to create a coherent and consistent labor policy in New Mexico, in step with laws recently modified by other states. HB 364 represents a true and hard-fought compromise between New Mexico’s public servants and State and local governments. Though HB 364 incorporates many changes, the provisions which are most significant can be summarized as follows: labor board restructuring, freedom to choose a Union without intimidation (election reform), dues deduction reform and protecting employees’ rights to fair representation.
New Mexico’s new labor law will provide essential support to fulfill its stated purpose: to ensure, at all times, the orderly operation and functioning of the state and its political subdivisions.
Every person in New Mexico deserves the right to come together and stand up for their safety and economic well-being, and HB 364 strengthens this right for New Mexicans. With this bill, championed by Senators Mimi Stewart and Daniel Ivey-Soto, and Representatives Sheryl Williams Stapleton, Christine Trujillo and Daymon Ely, we solidified that public servants will have their voices heard.
We want to extend our greatest appreciation to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and every member of the House of Representatives and the State Senate who stood in solidarity with working New Mexicans. We appreciate your courage to respect and empower the working women and men of our state.”