New Mexico Labor and Employment Law Basics

Learn how to comply with New Mexico employment laws

New Mexico labor and employment law basics allow employees to be paid what they deserve and employers to protect their businesses. The primary purpose of these laws is to level the playing field between employees and their employers.

New Mexico labor laws grant specific rights to collective bargaining organizations, also know as labor unions. Federal laws also control the rights of laborers to organize and generally take precedence over New Mexico's state labor laws. Specific classes of employees, such as domestic workers or agricultural laborers, are generally exempted from federal labor laws. Labor and employment law generally may be categorized into the following three groups:

1. New Mexico employment laws that deal with wages and benefits. Many states provide a minimum wage that is greater than the federal minimum wage. New Mexico laws also may offer other protections to workers that are greater than those specified by federal law.
2. Laws on displaying labor law posters. New Mexico has specific requirements on the display of labor and employment laws in the workplace.
3. Workers compensation insurance. New Mexico also has laws that specify the amount of insurance that employers must carry in the event that their employees are injured at work.
   

 

Learn about NM employment law that regulates minimum wage and overtime

According to New Mexico labor law, businesses must pay their employees the federal minimum wage. Overtime laws generally control what an employee should be paid after 40 hours of work in the same week.
Try: New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions provides the current federal and state minimum wage information for New Mexico. Lisa Law View has a post on the scheduled increases to the minimum wage in New Mexico.

Find out how to display posters on NM employment law

New Mexico labor law posters keep employees informed of their rights and obligations under federal and state labor laws. Labor lawyers in New Mexico will advise their clients to display these posters in the workplace in a visible location where they are easy to read.
Try: Compliance Poster Company provides the posting requirements for labor laws in New Mexico, including those for tipped employees. mystateposters.com has the specific labor law posting requirements for New Mexico.

Provide workers' compensation insurance required by employment laws in New Mexico

Workers' compensation insurance in New Mexico protects employees and their families in the event of injury or death of an employee while on the job. Government websites, insurance agencies and New Mexico employment law firms commonly have basic information on workers compensation.
Try: The State of New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration provides the specific laws that cover workers' compensation insurance in New Mexico. Chapter 4, Title 11 of the New Mexico Administrative Code published by the New Mexico Commission of Public Records addresses workers' compensation in New Mexico.

 

• New Mexico labor laws are guided by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938. This federal legislation establishes minimum wages for most workers, along with specific exceptions. The FLSA was amended in 1974 to cover government employees.

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