NM May Be Next Right to Work State

New Mexico Senate Minority Leader Jim Lingle believes the recent elections will facilitate passage of a New Mexico Right to Work law, making the land of Enchantment even more enchanting by allowing workers to choose whether or not to be represented by a union.  Dan Mayfield has the story in the Albuquerque Business Journal.

But Ingle, the minority leader in the New Mexico Senate, said Wednesday that after Tuesday’s election made Republicans the majority in the House, he sees a huge opportunity for several bills to pass that might not have even made it through committee in the past, including one of the most controversial: right-to-work.

New Mexico is not a right-to-work state, meaning that if employees must join a union to work for some employers. Changing the state’s stance, much like Michigan did last year, could significantly reduce the power of unions in New Mexico.
The legislature has passed right-to-work legislation in the past, but Democratic governors Toney Anaya and Bruce King both vetoed the legislation in the 1980s. This time, Ingle said, Republican Governor Susana Martinez, who won a second term on Tuesday, would likely sign right-to-work legislation, as well as other business bills that were tied up in House committees.