NM House Passes Lujan Minimum Wage Bill

From New Mexicans For a Fair Wage:
By a 38-30 margin, Speaker Lujan's minimum wage bill (House Bill 258) passed the House floor Monday. Not a single Republican voted for it, while all Democrats, with the exceptions of Representatives Mary Helen Garcia (Las Cruces) and Dona Irwin (Deming), voted for New Mexico's working families. The Speaker’s bill was amended to cover all state and local governmental employees, a change that makes it even stronger.

Also, Senator Altamirano's minimum wage bill (Senate Bill 449) passed the Senate Corporations Committee (all Democrats voting for, all Republicans voting against). The bill was amended to strip a bad amendment that was attached to it last week. Now it matches the Governor's original proposal.

Senate Bill 449 has some serious weaknesses, but we need some kind of bill to pass the Senate floor. Now is the time to call Senators and ask them to support the bill but also amend it to include inflation indexing, a shorter phase-in period, and no preemption of cities that choose to enact their own laws. 

Just like in the House, it is very likely that there won't be a single Republican voting with us. There are also lots of conservative Democrats in the Senate who will only consider changing their minds if they see a tidal wave of calls in the next few days.

The list below is prioritized, with the first set of senators those most in need of hearing from the public. All are Democrats:

1st Tier:
Sen. Tim Jennings (Roswell) 986-4863
Sen. John Arthur Smith (Deming) 986-4363
Sen. Mary Jane Garcia (Las Cruces) 986-4726
Sen. Shannon Robinson (Albuquerque) 986-4856 (Thank him for voting for SB 449 in his Corporations Committee)
Sen. Joseph Fidel (Grants) 986-4362
Sen. Lidio Rainaldi (Gallup) 986-4310
Sen. James Taylor (Albuquerque) 986-4862
Sen. Mary Kay Papen (Las Cruces)

2nd Tier:
Sen. Michael Sanchez (Belen) 986-4727
Sen. Bernadette Sanchez (Albuquerque--Westside) 986-4267
Sen. Carlos Cisneros (Questa/Taos) 986-4861
Sen. Richard Martinez (Espanola) 986-4389
Sen. Pete Campos (Las Vegas) 986-4311
Sen. John Pinto (Tohatchi) 986-4835
Sen. Leonard Tsosie (Crownpoint) 986-4859
Sen. Cynthia Nava (Las Cruces) 986-4834

If you are able to get a firm answer about how a Senator will vote on SB 449, please email Carter Bundy at carterbundy@yahoo.com, so we can have an updated list of where each Senator is.

Let's enjoy our victory in the House, but remember that it is just one step of many before we get a final bill that really helps New Mexico workers. And you, by making these calls, are going to make the difference in getting that bill to pass both houses.  Gracias!

Editor's Note: Speaker Lujan's House bill, which passed after a three-hour floor debate, would raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.75 in 2007 and $7.50 in 2008. Employers could pay a "training wage" of $5.15 for the first 60 days a worker is on the job. And, in a concession to chile producers, food processors could apply to the state Department of Labor for exemptions. The bill includes increases indexed to the cost of living and permits local and county governments to enact their own higher minimums.

Sen. Altamirano's bill on the Senate side would provide $7.50 an hour phased in over three years, does not currently include cost of living indexing and stops local minimums from being enacted for five years.