SB 110: An early candidate for worst bill of 2020
In any New Mexico legislative session you THINK you know what to expect during the session based on the agenda laid out by the Gov. But then you actually get into the session and you realize that any number of bills, often under the radar, could have a major, usually negative, impact if adopted.
The first candidate for this “honor” in 2020 is Sen. Mimi Stewart’s SB 110 which would totally revamp the operations of government employee unions in New Mexico. Stewart is best known as a shill for what we at the Foundation often describe as the “Education Blob.” The “blob” is basically the status quo in K-12 education, but with more money.
SB 110 would give government unions a great deal more power in New Mexico if adopted. Here are a few of the big changes in the bill:
1. Elimination of local labor boards
2. Eliminates the Forty Percent Validity Threshold on Union Elections. Thus enabling unionization with minimal employee support. Ironically the requirement that a union de-certification election will only be valid if forty percent of the eligible employees vote in the election.
3. Card check would be used for unionization elections, thus eliminating secret ballots. Ironically, secret ballots will still be required for de-certification elections.
4. Allows the State Labor Board expanded authority on imposing damages/relief
6. Offers employees just a 10-day window period for an employee to request to stop dues deductions
7. Requires public employers to release to the union employees’ home addresses, personal emails, and home/cell numbers
8. Union ability to meet with employees on work time including probationary employees
9. Unions have the right to use government facilities whenever they choose
10. Allows unions to engage in perpetual bargaining
11. Authorizes individual, unelected (frequently out of state) arbitrators to ignore county appropriations when deciding bargaining impasse cases and require counties to re-appropriate funds to cover the awards.