(Albuquerque - June 13, 2015) Hundreds of union members from across the state gathered at the historic Plumbers and Pipefitters hall, UA Local 412, this weekend for the New Mexico Federation of Labor (NMFL) biennial convention in Albuquerque. Labor delegates and guests conducted workshops, heard from national leaders, and framed a strategy to continue building New Mexico's labor movement in the lead up to the 2016 legislative session and elections.
President, Jon Hendry, and Secretary / Treasurer Maxine Velasquez were re-elected without opposition. Owing to the unity which labor has been building during, after, and in the run up to the 2015 legislative session, every executive board seat was elected unanimously and by acclamation.
"I'm Incredibly honored that the New Mexico labor family has put their faith in me for a third term as President," said Jon Hendry, President of the NMFL, addressing the convention. "We have major challenges ahead. The unity we've built coming out this convention will continue to fire the labor movement up. We are prepared to move forward together, and together we are stronger. Adelante! Hashtag union strong!"
The convention also heard from AFLCIO Vice President, Tefere Gebre who travelled to Albuquerque for the convention. "Labor is the largest organization of African Americans, the largest representative organization of Women, largest organization of LGBT men and women in our country," said Vice President Gebre. "The labor movement must recognize the power these numbers represent, and activate our millions of members....otherwise, these numbers have no meaning."
Vice President Gebre addressed difficult national issues such as immigration and prison reform, saying Labor is at a great disadvantage in the fight to lift wages when 11 million immigrant workers are forced to live in the shadows and are easy targets for exploitation and wage theft. Likewise, in New Mexico, where we have more prisoners than teachers, labor's efforts are undercut by the downward pressure exerted by a prison industrial complex which pays inmate workers pennies a day.
New Mexico was one of a number of states that faced infamous "right to work" legislation earlier in 2015. Labor worked closely with progressive champions in the legislature to expose the wealthy special interest groups' agenda, and defeated every "right to work" measure, introduced during the session in Santa Fe.