Right-To-Work Bill Would Be Good For NM

Albuquerque Journal
By Pete Domenici
February 13, 2015

I am writing in response to those who oppose the proposed right to work legislation. While I respect those who oppose, they are flat out wrong on this issue.

The truth is, passing right-to-work legislation would be good for New Mexico's workers and our economy. But unfortunately, some politicians are trying to turn this into a partisan battle even though a majority of Americans support it.

It's not hard to see why.

At the heart of this issue is the freedom of choice. In New Mexico, our workers can be forced to join a union or financially contribute to one as a condition of employment. That's not fair to the hardworking people of this state.

We need a solution. Passing a right-to-work law would protect our workers and allow them to choose whether they join a union. This would not do away with unions; it simply gives our workers a choice. We should never force anyone to join an organization of any kind. Not only will this help our workers, but also our economy. It is a fact that right-to-work legislation creates jobs.

Nearly all of our neighboring states have right-to-work protections in place. If we want to level the playing field, we need to pass right to work so that we can be competitive with states like Texas, Utah and Arizona - states that are growing. Twenty-four states currently are right to work and that number is growing all the time.

The facts show that employment grows much faster in right-to-work states. For example, from 1990 to 2011, right-to-work states showed a much greater gain in total employment