Labor unions rally at capital to support Wisconsin workers

February 23, 2011

Members of New Mexico labor unions rallied at the State Capitol Tuesday afternoon in a show of support for state employees in Wisconsin, where the governor wants to eliminate their collective bargaining rights. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's budget bill also proposes cuts in state employee benefits. Union members here say it could happen in New Mexico and many other states. "We're very worried," said union member Richard Toledo. "If this happens in Wisconsin, it's just a matter of time before it starts to snowball across the country." The Santa Fe rally was smaller than protests at the statehouses in Ohio and Michigan, where bills similar to the Wisconsin legislation are on the agenda. There are no such bills in the New Mexico legislature this session, apart from the biannual dead-on-arrival right to work bill. Rally-goers here think the union-busting action is partisan politics. "I think it's a coordinated effort on the part of Republican governors to bust unions to erode the base of the Democratic party," said union member Robert Behrendt. "It's obvious."