Advocates of free markets and limited government in New Mexico are on the offensive (for a change). After years of watching the Legislature fail to act on “right to work” and other economic policy reforms, the County Commission of Sandoval County appears poised to adopt a “right to work” bill at the County level.
There are plenty of reasons behind this decision including the performance of “right to work” jurisdictions relative to others. The Rio Grande Foundation played an integral role in this effort and is pleased to be working with Commissioners Jay Block and Dave Heil to make Sandoval County “right to work.”
The Commissioners talk to media about their efforts in the photo below:
Union lobbyists see worker choice as a mortal threat to their political power and turned out for the festivities as well. Jon Hendry of the AFL/CIO and Stephanie Ly were among the folks that came out and for a change are not likely to defeat this particular proposal politically although the federal courts will inevitably have the final say on this issue.
Where in NM law is there authority to adopt right to work at the local level? Also, just a friendly reminder to the Sandoval County Commission, the final decider of the legality of such a move will be in the hands of the NM Supreme Court, where 4 of the 5 justices are Dems, and where the Republicans have not had a majority since the 1920’s. Good luck with trying to get the Supremes to approve something that strikes at the heart of union and Democratic party power.
Thanks for your input, Charles. The matter won’t be decided by the New Mexico Supreme Court, but by the big boys (and girls) in D.C. Two decisions — Wisconsin Public Intervenor v. Mortier (1991) and City of Columbus v. Ours Garage and Wrecker Service (2002) — offer hope that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule that as political subdivisions of the State of New Mexico, Sandoval County and other local governments are permitted to adopt RTW ordinances. Of course, once any case goes before the nine justices, anything can happen. This piece, by law professor Richard Epstein, is a good exploration of the issue.
Thanks for the link to the Epstein article. If Albuquerque is stupid enough to pass the sick leave ordinance and Sandoval County is able to enact right to work at the county level, I suspect that a bunch of Albuquerque businesses will move to Rio Rancho.
Here is an excerpt from the Epstein article:
Home Rule Units Have the Right to Compete
Right now one of the major issues in labor law is the extent to which individual states will take advantage of the opportunity expressly recognized under Section 14(b) of the National Labor Relations Act to allow its workers to hold their jobs without becoming members of unions or paying union dues. That option, which the states have enjoyed all along, is reflected in a key provision of the National Labor Relations Act that reads as follows:
(b) Agreements requiring union membership in violation of State law
Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed as authorizing the execution or application of agreements requiring membership in a labor organization as a condition of employment in any State or Territory in which such execution or application is prohibited by State or Territorial law.
Ha, thanks for the shout out. Maybe if Sandoval county was on the ball they would be building the now 500k sqft Facebook facility there. This is just another diversion to hide incompetence. Glad you didn’t show the made in Haiti T Shirts that said bring jobs to NM !
Not sure what you have against the people of Haiti! Believe it or not, the market determines that it makes more economic sense for tee shirts to be made in Haiti than it does in New Mexico or another US state. I think New Mexicans can do better and I’m sure the people of Haiti who might otherwise be starving appreciate the opportunity.
I have wondered about that, what did happen was it not offered to any other county? Was it a closed deal with only Valencia Co., if so why? I also wondered why City of Rio Rancho never mentioned an attempt to work with Sandoval County to get the FB facility in Sandoval Co. I have yet to hear it mentioned by either heads of local government why they apparently made on bide or effort to compete. I think it would be informative to the public if they had or would explain the circumstances of non-action, has anyone ask for an accounting? T-Shirts made in Haiti promoting NM, driven by the market to be outsourced, I think driven by profit and cheap labor. I’am sure NM has one or two capable T-Shirt businesses that could have done the same work as Haiti’s T-shirt company.
I don’t know or care why Facebook came to Valencia County. The whole thing is built upon outrageous subsidies. The only worse subsidy deal in the state is that given to Jon and his film unions.
RGF didn’t buy the tee shirts, but good luck finding them made in the US. It’s called division of labor. Americans’ time and resources are better spent doing jobs requiring more than sewing shirts.