SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - Leaders of the second-largest labor union for New Mexico state employees are bristling at a proposed 3% pay increase from the governor and are promising to lobby legislators for more compensation in an election year for House and Senate members.
Dan Secrist, executive vice president to the Communications Workers of America, said he will present to lawmakers Saturday a budget amendment that would raise base pay to at least $15 an hour.
The union also is calling for tiered pay increases ranging from 9% for state workers earning under $30,000 annually to 5% for most workers earning over $60,000. The Legislature convenes Tuesday for a 30-day session.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is seeking $28 million in increased appropriations to raise state employee pay in the coming fiscal year, and a pension reform proposal could increase state contributions to retirements. The governor is recommending a slightly larger 4% increase for public school salaries.
State economists expect a $800 million general fund surplus for the coming fiscal year.
Secrist said compensation for crucial state employees who inspect restaurants and ensure safe drinking water is being overlooked amid efforts to fill teacher vacancies and spur private sector job growth through tax rebates to the film industry.
“We’re not lovable,” he said. “We’re not the firefighters or the teachers.”
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