New Mexico's Labor Movement Is Alive And Well

By Austin Fisher, Source New Mexico

September 5, 2022

The labor movement doesn’t typically get sustained media attention, but it is alive and well in New Mexico.

In recognition of Labor Day and as part of our reflections on our first year, we’ve collected our coverage of work and workers since we started.

One prominent example of the push for rights and wages here is the graduate student worker union at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, from their initial efforts to be recognized as a union, to their ongoing fight for a first contract. As they point out, livable wages and access to health care in exchange for instructing much of the university’s courses means more people would be able to pursue a graduate degree.

UNM grad worker union rallies for rights on first day of school

Fellow workers in the janitorial and maintenance departments at the University’s five campuses across the state and at Central New Mexico Community College have also put school administrators in the hot seat.

Custodial staff rallies for fairer pay at UNM

So have graduate workers at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, through their campaign to cover their tuition costs like NMSU’s peer institutions.

NMSU’s local labor board no longer exists

Film workers in New Mexico have also gotten a lot of attention for their threat to join a nationwide strike over conditions threatening their health and safety after the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the film set of “Rust” near Santa Fe.

‘Rust’ cast member: Production was rushed, crew overworked before fatal shooting

Following in the footsteps of hundreds of Starbucks stores across the country in the last year, baristas in Albuquerque and Santa Fe are trying to unionize and are facing union-busting tactics.

With two Starbucks stores in NM set to unionize, organizers feel solidarity

Lesser-known labor activity includes workers organizing inside prisons and one of the last remaining indie bookstores in Albuquerque.

Push for workers’ rights spreads to one of Albuquerque’s last indie bookstores

Health care has been in crisis since before the COVID pandemic, but the pressure hasn’t stopped hospital workers in Rio Rancho and Gallup from taking action to make things better.

Labor pains: Delivery rooms closed at a Gallup hospital as employees resign

Our coverage of work has not been limited to union activity. We’ve also looked at how state law affects working conditions, including paid sick leave, pay for teachers and Indigenous language instructors, discrimination against Indigenous teachers and students, a lack of a vaccine requirement for first responders, and Patrick Lohmann’s extensive, bilingual coverage of the state’s chile industry.

Red chile and red tape

Source New Mexico, an independent, nonprofit news organization, delivers original reporting and stories that center the lived experiences and expertise of the people of New Mexico, alongside insightful opinion and analysis. Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.