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New Mexico COPS Growing Again
At its peak, the New Mexico Coalition of Public Safety Officers/CWA Local 7911 represented 500 police and sheriff's department employees. Then it lost nearly half its members when the state's collective bargaining law expired under Republican Gov. Gary Johnson.
But like CWA's New Mexico state workers - more than 3,000 of them organized over the past year - NMCOPS is well on its way to regaining its former strength thanks to a new bargaining rights law signed by Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson.
"Now that we've got the statute, there's a lot more interest in organizing" said Local President Steve Harvey, whose newest members are 22 Socorro County sheriff's deputies organized by card check.
The Socorro County sheriff's association contacted the local shortly after the new law went into effect July 1, 2003.
Association President Richard Wells said the county
had cut deputies back to 36 hours a week to save money, forcing some to apply for food stamps to feed their families.
Safety was also an issue. A hiring freeze meant fewer deputies were covering the same large territory.
Wells said about 90 percent of the deputies signed cards. The victory put Local 7911's membership over the 300 mark and the local has petitions pending with the state labor board for several other units.
Those include a card check campaign for 40 sheriffs' deputies in Sandoval County, an election for 150 deputies and administrative employees in Dona Ana County and an election for 100 corrections officers and other workers at the Dona Ana Correctional Facility. State law permits a card check if only one union claims interest in the bargaining unit.
But like CWA's New Mexico state workers - more than 3,000 of them organized over the past year - NMCOPS is well on its way to regaining its former strength thanks to a new bargaining rights law signed by Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson.
"Now that we've got the statute, there's a lot more interest in organizing" said Local President Steve Harvey, whose newest members are 22 Socorro County sheriff's deputies organized by card check.
The Socorro County sheriff's association contacted the local shortly after the new law went into effect July 1, 2003.
Association President Richard Wells said the county
had cut deputies back to 36 hours a week to save money, forcing some to apply for food stamps to feed their families.
Safety was also an issue. A hiring freeze meant fewer deputies were covering the same large territory.
Wells said about 90 percent of the deputies signed cards. The victory put Local 7911's membership over the 300 mark and the local has petitions pending with the state labor board for several other units.
Those include a card check campaign for 40 sheriffs' deputies in Sandoval County, an election for 150 deputies and administrative employees in Dona Ana County and an election for 100 corrections officers and other workers at the Dona Ana Correctional Facility. State law permits a card check if only one union claims interest in the bargaining unit.