CWA Local 7076 President Dan Secrist and Executive Vice President Charles Compton met with New Mexico Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales Friday morning, along with other labor leaders in New Mexico to discuss the budget and legislative matters.
Secrist made clear to Lt. Governor Morales that the employees CWA 7076 represents — and their families — were extremely disappointed the Governor did not include any raise for state employees in her budget proposal.
The CWA president reminded the Lt. Governor that state employees had their pay raise taken away from them in June, and that CWA and its members were prepared to fight for:
- returning the raise that was passed in February 2020, and then taken away this June;
- provide a modest cost of living raise for the coming fiscal year; and
- most importantly — asked for a commitment from the Lieutenant Governor and Governor that they would support this effort.
AFSCME political director Carter Bundy, also representing state employees, let the Lt. Governor know that his union strongly agreed with Secrist and CWA, reminding the administration that the federal government would be providing additional funding to states in the coming months.
The CWA legislative team will be rolling out an action plan in the next several days so that employees are able to communicate with the governor and legislators that they need to be treated fairly, and not forgotten by the Governor.
[Home page: photo by Frank Frost Photography / Office of the Lieutenant Governor]