A Just Minimum Wage

A new report commissioned by the American Friends Service Committee and the National Council of Churches calls on Congress to raise the minimum wage. Click here to learn more and download a PDF copy of the report, "A Just Minimum Wage: Good for Workers, Business and Our Future," by Holly Sklar and the Rev. Dr. Paul H. Sherry.

The report emphasizes that "A job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it ... Raising the minimum wage is a moral imperative for the very soul of our nation."

As you probably know by now, a bill to raise the minimum wage in New Mexico from $5.15 to $7.50 an hour is expected to be introduced at the 30-day legislative session that begins on January 17, 2006. This report contains a multitude of excellent talking points that strongly support the economic wisdom and moral fairness of raising the minimum wage, whether it's at the local, state or national level.

At its recent State Central Committee meeting, the Democratic Party of New Mexico passed a resolution endorsing an increase in the state minimum wage to $7.50 per hour, indexed to inflation, with no preemptions of local wage ordinances.

Legislative supporters of a raise in New Mexico's minimum wage so far include Speaker of the House Ben Lujan, D-Santa Fe; Senators Ben Altamirano D-Catron, Grant and Soccorro; John Grubesic, D-Santa Fe; Nancy Rodriguez, D-Santa Fe; and Representatives Luciano "Lucky" Varela, D-Santa Fe; Antonio Lujan, D-Doña Ana; Joseph Cervantes, D-Doña Ana; Andy Nunez, D-Doña Ana; Rick Miera, D-Bernalillo; Joni Gutierrez, D-Doña Ana; Manny Herrera, D-Grant and Hidalgo; and Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe.

More and more cities and states are raising their raising their minimum wage rates in response to the refusal of the Republican-dominated U.S. Congress to take up this vital issue. The national minimum wage was last increased in 1997.

The New Mexicans For A Fair Wage Coalition has been established to support a raise in our state's minimum wage. Its current membership includes:

ACORN
Albuquerque Musicians’ Association
American Federation of Teachers New Mexico
AFSCME
ARC of N.M.
Community Action N.M.
Democracy for New Mexico
Empowering Our Communities in New Mexico
Enlace Communitario
Green Party N.M.
Grey Panthers
Health Action N.M.
Hispano Roundtable of New Mexico
Hogares, Inc.
Homeless Advocacy Coalition
Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry
MANA
Mountain West Regional Council of Carpenters
National Education Association
N.M. AFL-CIO
N.M. Alliance for Retired Americans
N.M Catholic Conference
N.M. Building Construction and Trades Council
N.M. Center on Law and Poverty
N.M. Conference of Churches
N.M. Council on Crime and Delinquency
N.M. Federation of Labor Retiree Council
N.M. Human Needs Coordinating Council
N.M. Voices for Children
N.M. Pediatric Society
N.M. Public Health Association
Parents Reaching Out
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office
Santa Fe Living Wage Network
Somos Un Pueblo Unido
Southwest Organizing Project
UNM Law and Society