The State of Kentucky went “Right to Work” at the start of 2017. This is a move that we have long advocated for New Mexico. Results are now coming available. According to this article, “Shattering its previous investment record, Kentucky announced $9.2 billion in corporate expansion and new-location projects in 2017, bringing commitments to create more than 17,200 jobs, the most since 2000.”
Furthermore, according to the aforementioned article, “Kentucky’s previous investment record stood at $5.1 billion, set in 2015.” In other words, in 2017 newly-Right to Work Kentucky nearly doubled in a single year.
The top-five projects by investment are Amazon Prime Air in Hebron at $1.49 billion, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky’s Reborn project at $1.33 billion, Braidy Industries in Boyd County with $1.3 billion, Ford Motor Co. at its Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville with $900 million and the EnerBlue Inc. manufacturing facility in Pikeville at $372 million.
The top-five job-creating projects of the year are Amazon Prime Air in Hebron with 2,700 full- and part-time jobs; Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky’s Reborn project with 1,209 positions; Diversified Consultants Inc. in Louisville with 1,000 jobs; the EnerBlue Inc. battery manufacturing facility in Pikeville with 875 jobs; Braidy Industries in Boyd County with 550 positions; and New Flyer in Shepherdsville with 550 jobs.
Did the strong national economy contribute? Sure. Did other pro-business policies enacted in Kentucky assist in this growth? I bet. Could New Mexico see similar results if it were to adopt “Right to Work?” It seems quite likely.
Interestingly, Kentucky saw a modest drop in unemployment from January 2017 to November of 2017 from 5.0 percent to 4.7 percent, but the Bluegrass State also saw an increase in workforce participation from 55.5 percent to 56.4 percent, a healthy rise.
Right to work isn’t the “One Great Answer” to New Mexico’s economic problems. Pass RTW for the State and do nothing about Crime and Education and we still won’t get new jobs & businesses here
You overlook the Fact that Kentucky has relatively low Crime Rates; 7th lowest in Violent Crime, 20th lowest in property Crime. By comparison, New Mexico is 48th and 49th “lowest.” https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/crime-and-corrections/public-safety
Kentucky is hardly the model for New Mexico. It is just a state making some good changes in its business climate. I’d much rather be Nevada or Tennessee (46th and 47th in your list). Those are some of the fastest-growing states with right to work laws and zero income taxes. If we could get both of those done in New Mexico I think crime becomes less relevant and perhaps goes down. Those are at least policy moves you can hang your hat on. Cutting crime by just hiring more cops or whatever is not proven to have positive results and culturally New Mexico is not Vermont or Maine.