Somos Un Pueblo Unido was joined by New Mexico OSHA Bureau Chief Robert Genoway, center, Monday to formalize an alliance to broaden the access New Mexico immigrant workers have. Courtesy/Somos Un Pueblo Unido
Somos Un Pueblo Unido News:
SANTA FE — Somos Un Pueblo Unido was joined Monday by New Mexico OSHA Bureau Chief Robert Genoway to formalize an alliance to broaden the access New Mexico immigrant workers have to this state agency and its resources.
A signing event was held at Somos’ Santa Fe office where several Somos members from Hobbs, Farmington, Gallup, Roswell and Santa Fe shared stories of health and safety issues in food, oil and gas and dairy industries including workplace hazards, irreversible injuries, long dangerous hours and retaliation.
New Mexico OSHA pledged to continue to work with Somos to inform and empower essential workers across the state through our campaign Somos Esenciales. This campaign aims to reach immigrant workers with information about their workplace rights as well as guide workers in filing administrative complaints with New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, OSHA, the EEOC and the National Labor Relations Board.
As part of their Somos Esenciales campaign Somos also announced priorities for the 2023 legislative session. They will be advocating for worker-centered proposals that benefit all workers in New Mexico.
Priorities For 2023 Legislative Session:
- They will advocate for the inclusion of all essential workers’ access to unemployment insurance regardless of immigration status. This legislative session we want the state to take the first step in extending this benefit to ALL New Mexico’s workers by creating a feasibility study looking into which workers are excluded from UI and how the state could fund it to include those workers. Local communities deserve to have access to unemployment benefits because Somos work is essential, and they pay into the system;
- In 2022 Somos Acción, Somos’ sister 501(c)(4) organization, worked to help build support in favor of Constitutional Amendment #1 which passed with 70 percent of the vote. Their vision is a portion of this fund is channeled back to the very communities this money comes from– oil and gas dependent communities. They want to see an increase in pay for childcare providers, an addition of daycare centers across rural New Mexico, and an expansion on workforce development and job training for those looking to enter the field in rural communities;
- Somos supports amending the anti-donation clause to make it easier for local governments to distribute money to economic relief programs vetted by the New Mexico legislature. They would like to see this on the ballot and have the people vote on it;
- They’re advocating for a state Economic Transition Office. As New Mexico transitions away from fossil fuels, immigrant oil and gas workers who are currently exposed to harsh and unsafe working conditions refuse to be left behind in emerging industries or displaced because of the lack of job training in other sectors.
Somos member Elena Terrazas from Santa Fe said, “I was working 12 hours daily and hurt my hands on the clock leading me to lose my job and was left to figure it out on my own and my vacation time was never paid … It’s not fair that employees like us don’t have the same safety nets that all other workers do. I want to see a change.”
Somos un Pueblo Unido member Teresa Lopez said, “I was told by my employer that I was too old, too fat, too ugly to work, and I didn’t know what to do. That’s why I came here (Somos Un Pueblo Unido) for help. I’m happy that Somos is creating new bridges to help workers like me fight discrimination in the workplace.”
Somos member Martin Mendoza from Farmington said, “I didn’t report my workplace incident because I was afraid of getting fired. If we filed a report, they would look for any excuse to fire us. I am excited for Somos to support laws that help strengthen and expand worker protection laws for everyone regardless of status.”
Watch the full signing event here.