Dear AFSCME State Employees,
After the ballots were counted on March 4, the message was received loud and clear: AFSCME members overwhelmingly support the new and highly-improved collective bargaining agreement between AFSCME Council 18 and the State of New Mexico!
"This is a great day for state employees and members of AFSCME Council 18. Our bargaining team worked closely with our members in every single agency to address their concerns and to protect the rights we previously negotiated. I am proud of our entire team, and excited for the future of our Union," said Ken Long, Vice President of Council 18 and President of Local 1211, who as a DOT employee served on the main agreement and the DOT supplemental bargaining team.
Council 18 Executive Director and International Vice President Connie Derr, said, “It has been a long time coming to finalize this contract and it was worth it! The new agreement has substantially stronger language which addresses issues important to state employees.
"The AFSCME bargaining teams on the main agreement and the agency supplementals teams worked hard, thoughtfully and professionally to reach this sound agreement. In addition to improved language, this agreement includes an historic wage package that lifts up lower-wage workers to a minimum of $15.00/ per hour, increases wages for all classified employees to 7%, and in some cases, depending on pay band, more than 7%. This wage package will have an immediate impact on recruitment and retention of state employees and will have an impact on the lives of every single bargaining unit member.”
Before the new agreement heads to printing, the State and AFSCME are proof-reading the agreement.
“While the negotiations were always tough,” said Director Derr, “It was clear that Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was fair-minded in the direction she provided her staff to reach a just and equitable agreement, and Acting State Personnel Director Ricky Serna, and management were diligent in keeping that focus on what is best for providing public services and those providing the services.”
“I was so proud to be on the AFSCME bargaining team,”said Laura Barnes, who served on the negotiating team for the master agreement representing Local 3422 NMCD and is currently an employee with CYFD. “The AFSCME bargaining team went above and beyond to help deliver a contract that will have everlasting positive change on the work lives of every single state employee.”
