Contact: Isaac Padilla
505/986.4263
Isaac.Padilla@nmlegis.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Mexico Needs to Raise the Minimum Wage
Santa Fe, NM – Senator Bill Soules (D-37- Doña Ana) introduced SJR 18 that would put a question to the voters on the November 2016 ballot and allows them to decide if they want to increase the minimum wage in New Mexico. The minimum wage has not changed in New Mexico since 2009 when it increased to $7.50 an hour. The price for housing, food and other essential items has increased since 2009 making it more difficult to afford necessities.
“Anyone who works 40 hours a week deserves to have a wage that is enough to live on. This legislation brings us one step closer. Six years is far too long to increase the minimum wage,” said Senator Soules. “This is a responsible proposal that will maintain the purchasing power of those New Mexicans who work for minimum wage.”
This administration has focused on tax cuts for corporations instead of working families and the jobs that were promised have not materialized. New Mexico is last in the country in job growth, first in unemployment and wages are stagnant. An increase in the minimum wage will increase the purchasing power of people earning the minimum wage and stimulate the economy.
###
