Rep. Dennis Roch
STATE News:
- Legislation Will Now Move To Judiciary Committee
SANTA FE — Right-to-work legislation, which would give New Mexico’s workers the right to choose whether they join a union or financially contribute to one, has passed the House Committee on Business and Employment. It will now move to the Judiciary Committee. The bill moved with a bi-partisan 8-5 vote.
“By moving this bipartisan legislation forward, we are one step closer to giving New Mexico’s workers the right to choose whether they join a union or financially contribute to one,” Rep. Dennis Roch said. “You should have every right to join a union if that is what you choose. But you should never be forced to join an organization against your own will.”
In addition to giving workers the freedom to choose whether they join a union or financially contribute to one, the legislation would also make New Mexico’s 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 if New Mexico had become a right-to-work state in 1980, employment would have been around 21 percent higher in 2011.
Protecting workers from having to join a union or financially contribute to one against their will has bipartisan support nationally. A Gallup poll taken in August found that 71 percent of Americans support right-to-work laws. The support crosses party lines, with 65 percent of Democrats and 77 percent of Independents supporting the protections.
