Nurses, staff protest at University of New Mexico Hospital, citing heavy workloads and low wages - Natalie Robbins, Albuquerque Journal
Nurses and other staff at the University of New Mexico Hospital rallied for wage increases Thursday, alleging the hospital denied them an annual raise despite increasing workloads and rapidly growing patient volume.
Union representatives say the hospital employees — including nurses, clerks, techs, nursing assistants, medical assistants, radiologists and facilities, pharmacy and environmental services workers — are not paid market-competitive wages, a contributing factor to UNMH’s issues with recruitment and retention.
Yolanda Avila Ulmer, president of District 1199NM, the hospital workers’ union representing the UNMH employees, said union officials were told during negotiations that the hospital didn’t have money in the budget for staff raises, though its CEO Kate Becker was to receive a pay increase.
“They don’t budget for any of the people who are the foundation of this hospital, and that’s a big problem,” Avila Ulmer said.
On Thursday morning, around a dozen health care workers picketed outside the hospital in shifts. Nurses told the Journal they were living paycheck to paycheck amid rising expenses.
Since UNMH is a publicly operated hospital, the staff can’t go on strike, Avila Ulmer said, though the union won’t relent until its demands are met.
“We’re not going to stand down,” she said.
UNM Health Sciences spokesperson Chris Ramirez said in a statement that the hospital had taken “several financial hits” this year due to federal funding issues, rising costs of supplies and a growing patient population.
“UNM Hospital values its workforce and is deeply committed to providing competitive wages and creating an environment for our care teams to thrive, while providing high-level quality care to patients,” Ramirez said.
In the past five years, UNMH implemented five wage increases for all employees, along with equity adjustments for workers with more than six years of service, Ramirez said. Becker is the only one at UNMH receiving an annual raise because yearly pay increases are included in her multiyear contract, he said.
UNMH is New Mexico’s only Level 1 trauma center, equipped to provide 24-hour care for patients with the most serious injuries, so the hospital constantly receives patients from other parts of the state via helicopter, plane or ambulance.
This also means the hospital is often overcrowded. UNMH consistently operates at anywhere from 105% to 120% capacity, UNM Health Sciences spokesperson Brianna Mortensen told the Journal in August.
Overcrowding issues at UNMH compounded by a statewide provider deficit — New Mexico is short 30% for nurses, according to nonprofit Think New Mexico — means staff is overworked and patients suffer, Avila Ulmer said.
“The hospital is short-staffed. Nurses are working tired, overworked, lots of hours, four days, five days, 12-hour shifts,” she said. “Mistakes can happen. Patients aren’t getting their medications on time. It’s awful for this trauma hospital to be like this.”
Earlier this month, UNMH opened its critical care tower, designed to increase patient capacity. At $842 million, the nine-story tower is the largest and most expensive public non-road construction project in New Mexico’s history.
The tower’s opening was delayed by a year, in part by staffing challenges. At a ribbon cutting ceremony in September, UNM Health System CEO Dr. Mike Richards told the Journal the tower is still not fully staffed, though the hospital hired more than 1,000 new employees to work in it.
Margarita Ortega y Gomez, an occupational therapist at UNMH and District 1199NM chapter president, said the whole hospital, including the new tower, feels the strain of being understaffed, which means patients and student trainees don’t get the attention they deserve.
“Even in this new tower, they’re short-staffed with very unsafe conditions at this point,” she said. “That affects directly the people who need it the most.”
A wage increase will attract more staff to UNMH, Ortega y Gomez said, which will mean the hospital won’t have to pay travel nurses, who are more expensive.
“We want to recruit health care professionals. In order to do that, we’ve got to be able to pay fair and living wages. They have to be able to expect annual raises. They have to be able to expect good working conditions,” said state Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero, D-Albuquerque, who joined the picketers Thursday morning. “Why are we subcontracting out all over the nation for nurses when we have health care professionals that we can retain here?”
The union will return to negotiations with UNMH on Nov. 18, Avila Ulmer said.
Republican lawmakers say conservation tax revenue, not industry, should pay for well cleanup - Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
Amid ongoing proposed rulemaking that would require more funds from oil and gas operators to clean up New Mexico’s abandoned wells, Republican state lawmakers on Thursday pressed state officials over the current funding for such work.
In a tense and sometimes testy interim Water and Natural Resources Committee hearing in Artesia, members of the minority party told presenters from the state’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department and the State Land Office to reconsider pursuing higher investment from oil and gas operators, saying it would harm the industry as a whole, and smaller oil producers in particular.
“If those wells aren’t producing, guess what, y’all don’t have a job because that’s what’s paying your wages right now, OK?” said Sen. Candy Spence Ezzell (R-Roswell) during one exchange.
Earlier this year, legislative analysts estimated that in the coming years, New Mexico faces between $700 million to $1.6 billion in costs to clean up abandoned oil and gas wells. One of the June report’s recommendations included updating the state’s rules around the bonds companies guarantee to better reflect the costs for cleanup. That proposal is currently under consideration—and receiving public comment—by the state’s oil and gas regulatory committee.
The state has identified more than 700 “orphan wells” that need to be plugged, EMNRD Deputy Secretary Ben Shelton told the committee, but many more wells are entering the end of their lifespans.
“There’s another 4,000 to 5,000 that are currently sitting in an inactive status or extremely low-producing status that we have an eye on that looms in the background of our current plugging list,” Shelton told the committee.
Rep. Rod Montoya (R-Farmington), however, called the proposed revamped rules a “money grab,” and said the state should instead change the distribution of tax revenue intended to address the issue.
Specifically, EMNRD uses money from the state’s reclamation fund—intended to plug wells and clean up pollution—which itself receives a portion of a 1959-era conservation tax placed on various extractive industries. Since 2022, the agency has also received $55.5 million in multiyear federal grants it has used for the work.
Shelton said the state tries to spend federal funds first, and leave more money available in the state’s reclamation fund to address unpredictable costs for environmental remediation. The fund currently contains more than $75 million and the state this year requested about $21 million for plugging wells and environmental remediation.
Montoya noted that under state law, the majority of the $120 million to $140 million collected annually in conservation taxes ends up in the general fund. Only about 10% a year benefits the state’s reclamation fund.
As such, he said, the state should ensure more of the conservation tax benefits the reclamation fund, rather than look to industry to pay for the cleanup.
“I cannot see a justification to go out there and ask industry for more money to do the same thing that we’re already collecting money for, ” Montoya said.
Shelton, in response to questions along the same line from Rep. Jonathan Henry (R-Artesia), said that not only would spending the entire $76 million currently in the reclamation fund be insufficient to address the problem, but “if 100% of the conservation tax was directed to the [reclamation] fund, that would not be enough for the state to manage our cleanup liability. If you took the conservation tax amounts on operators and increased it and then gave 100% to the [reclamation] fund, it would not be enough. We are talking about potentially billions of dollars of liability,” he said.
Rep. Elaine Sena Cortez (R-Hobbs) responded that lawmakers have the chance to increase the reclamation fund for clean up. Previous legislative efforts to change the distribution proportion have failed.
“Not to beat a dead horse, but if we utilize the reclamation fund for its intended purposes at full capacity — and the keyword is full capacity — it’s going to help producers curb costs, and then it provides an environmental win as well,” she said. “And at the end of the day, that’s what we all want.”
Federal government shutdown threatens SNAP food aid as several states scramble to help - By Margery A. Beck and Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press
With federal SNAP food assistance set to run dry this weekend amid the protracted U.S. government shutdown, Louisiana, New Mexico and Vermont became the latest states Wednesday to announce help for low-income households that rely on the funds to eat.
They join states from New York to Nevada in scrambling to find ways to get food to people who are increasingly anxious and will otherwise go hungry without their normal monthly payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
Several states take action Wednesday
In Louisiana, where nearly one in five residents receive SNAP benefits, lawmakers authorized $150 million in state funding Wednesday to help avoid Saturday's expected interruption. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry backed a bipartisan measure to allow most of the state's nearly 800,000 SNAP recipients to receive their full monthly benefit amount.
"Our priorities are specific, we're going to protect the most vulnerable population in Louisiana — which is our kids, disabled and elderly," Landry said.
But officials said that while program details are still incomplete, the effort will likely exclude "able bodied" adults who aren't caring for children or don't share a household with elderly or disabled members — about 53,000 recipients.
Elsewhere, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Wednesday that her state will provide $30 million in emergency food assistance to residents through EBT cards, backfilling SNAP benefits temporarily. The Democrat leads a state where 21% of the population relies on SNAP — the highest rate in the nation. Officials said the benefit would cover about 30% of what residents usually see at the start of the month.
New Mexico held a two-day special legislative session at the outset of the shutdown to shore up food banks and pantries with $8 million in new funding, along with $17.5 million in SNAP-related costs to offset cuts under President Donald Trump's spending and tax cut bill.
The emergency funding is expected to last about 10 days, while Democratic state House Speaker Javier Martínez said the Legislature is positioned to approve more if necessary because "children going without basic food staples is an emergency."
Lujan Grisham said state officials are aware that 10 days isn't enough but they are prepared to deal with the issue for as long as they can.
"We're not going to let food insecurity creep into this state," she said.
In Vermont, Republican Gov. Phil Scott and Democratic legislative leaders approved using $6.3 million in state funds to cover 15 days of SNAP benefits and provide $250,000 to food banks. The Legislature had previously put $50 million aside for such emergencies.
Different strokes for different states
So far, state responses have been mixed. Some, like Rhode Island, say they will funnel reserve federal welfare funds directly onto the debit cards issued to people who buy groceries with SNAP. States including Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, West Virginia plan to boost funds to food pantries to help cover for low-income families needing food. Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo are both seeking to direct $30 million in state funds to cover food assistance.
Other states such as Alabama, Texas, Kansas and Florida have not acted.
In Nebraska, the state Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement Tuesday announcing it would pause SNAP benefits the next day. It said it is "actively coordinating with food banks, nonprofit partners, and community organizations," and listed area food banks for those seeking help.
Leaving people to fend for themselves will mean the most vulnerable — like children and the elderly — will go hungry, said Tashara Leak, a registered dietitian and nutritional researcher and professor at Cornell University. She also serves on New York State Council on Hunger and Food Policy that routinely meets with New York's governor.
"The panic is already starting," Leak said, adding families with limited resources are "already rationing food in preparation to not receive benefits on Nov. 1."
States can't do what the federal government can
Despite the best efforts of states, local governments and food charities, it won't be enough to cover what the federal government does under SNAP. Even states with fat budget surpluses couldn't cover the SNAP tab much beyond November. That tab nationwide totaled about $100 billion in 2024.
"There's no way for the states to be able to fill in the gap for the month of November, especially with such short notice," Leak said.
Democrats have called on the Trump administration to release contingency funding to ensure uninterrupted SNAP payments, but it has declined to do so.
Recently, a group of Democratic state officials filed suit, asking a judge to require the Trump administration to keep funding SNAP benefits. They say that the government is required to use one contingency fund, which has around $5 billion, for that purpose and that another larger reserve fund of about $23 billion is also available. A hearing is set for Thursday in federal court in Boston.
Delays in benefits are nearly certain for most beneficiaries whose debit cards are replenished early in the month — even in states that are planning to pay for benefits or if a judge orders the federal government to load the cards immediately.
The legal filing asserted that in California, for instance, there will be a one-day delay in benefits available for every day after Oct. 23 that the process of putting money on cards hasn't begun. That means that if a judge orders the program to continue on Thursday, the first cards would likely not be ready until around Nov. 10.
Christopher Bosso, a Northeastern University professor of public policy and political science who has published a book about SNAP, said even a delay would be deeply felt. Beneficiaries often stock up on groceries at the start of the month, and stores often hold sales then that encourage shoppers to do so.
"We're about to find out how much this program matters, in ways that people hadn't realized," Bosso said.
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AP writers Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
New NM State Fair board OKs $67M in infrastructure - Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
Members of a new board overseeing up to $500 million in investment to re-envision the State Fair grounds in Albuquerque authorized about $67 million for infrastructure—including millions aimed at two dangerous intersections.
The State Fair District Board, which the Legislature created earlier this year, is tasked with overseeing the design and authorizing spending for the 236-acre site in the heart of Albuquerque that abuts the International District neighborhood. The state-owned site has emerged as a target for investment that board members and neighbors say they hope will benefit the neighborhood, long beset with crime, drug use and poverty.
The board unanimously gave initial approval for spending for the project’s early phases, including about $16 million for demolition and land preparation, $27 million for internal roadways and utilities, $19 million for a 10-acre park and $6 million for”off-site” pedestrian safety improvements.
Members also received their first glimpse at “pre-development draft concepts” for the fairgrounds.
Officials at Stantec, the firm developing a master plan for the redevelopment, also provided the concepts to Source New Mexico, though they stressed the designs are preliminary and subject to change, including based on the public’s input at upcoming meetings.
Even with the project in its nascent stage, the impact on the International District and its residents has been the subject of much conversation among board members, including Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and New Mexico Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque). The development may also mean the annual State Fair will need to find a new home.
The intersections on both sides of the fairgrounds, where Central Avenue crosses San Pedro Drive and Louisiana Boulevard, are the two most dangerous intersections in New Mexico for pedestrians, according to state Transportation Department data. Forty-two crashes involving pedestrians occurred at those two intersections in 2024.
The design concepts Stantec shared aim to open up the site with green space, parks and amenities, including an arena or other large community venue, along with an unspecified number of mixed-income housing units. The design also includes “traffic-calming” measures, including more crosswalks, pedestrian-activated streetlights and at least one more stoplight, said Stantec Designer Nancy Locke.
“We’d love to slow that traffic down a little bit,” Locke said.
The $67 million the board authorized includes $6 million in “off-site” improvements detailed in the pre-development concepts, money that could go to the pedestrian safety measures. It includes about $2 million for intersection improvements, $2.6 million for sidewalk and landscape improvements and $140,000 to improve the existing bus stops there.
While the board authorized the $67 million in bonding capacity for infrastructure, spending that money is still a good way off, Lujan Grisham said. The Legislature will also have to sign off when it meets in January, and then the state Finance Board will issue the bonds at a later date.
And the funding for up to the $433 million in remaining bonding capacity the Legislature gave the Fair Board would come in subsequent phases. The governor and state Rep. Janelle Anyanonu (D-Albuquerque) said they might seek even more funding for the project at the January legislative session.
Still, the governor said during Thursday’s meeting she’d like to see the project break ground before she leaves office at the end of next year, and she asked Locke if that was possible.
“We’ll have to move fast,” Locke said.