This week, New Mexico in Focus examines minimum wage in our state. Senior Producer Lou DiVizio speaks with Sarita Nair, secretary of the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, about state protections for minimum wage earners and tipped workers.

DiVizio then asks Carol Wight, CEO of the New Mexico Restaurant Association, whether businesses consider a city’s minimum wage for tipped employees before opening a new location.

Marcela Díaz of Somos Un Pueblo Unido tells Lou about the many obstacles that minimum wage earners face when trying to enter the economic world.

Whitney Holland, president of the New Mexico chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, is one of 45 delegates attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this month. KUNM’s Nash Jones catches up with Holland to hear what happened in the convention hall and how the party’s platform could impact the people of New Mexico.

NMiF airs Friday, August 23 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, August 25 at 7 a.m. on NMPBS 5.1 (KNME HD) and streams on the PBS Video app.

NMiF segments

Minister Sarita Nair on state protection of minimum wage earners

correspondent
Lou DiVizio

Guest
Sarita Nair, Secretary, NM Department of Workforce Solutions

New Mexico’s role at the Democratic National Convention

correspondent
Nash Jones

Guest
Whitney Holland, NM Delegate, President, American Federation of Teachers – NM

CEO of NM Restaurant Association on paying tips to workers

correspondent
Lou DiVizio

Guest
Carol Wight, CEO, New Mexico Restaurant Association

Economic hurdles for minimum wage earners in NM

correspondent
Lou DiVizio

Guest
Marcela Díaz, Founding Executive Director, Somos Un Pueblo Unido

host
Jeff Proctor

New Mexico in Focus is New Mexico PBS’ primetime news magazine that covers the events, issues and people that shape life in New Mexico and the Southwest. NMiF takes a multifaceted look at social, political, economic, health, educational and artistic issues, examining them in depth and with a critical eye to give them context that goes beyond “breaking news.”

NMPBS executive producer for public affairs is Jeff Proctor. New Mexico in Focus chief public affairs producer is Lou DiVizio. Our Land chief producer is Laura Paskus. New Mexico in Focus producer is Antonio Sanchez and co-producer is Kathy Wimmer.

New Mexico in Focus is funded by the McCune Charitable Foundation and Viewers Like You.

The “Your New Mexico Government” project is funded by the Thornburg Foundation and the New Mexico Local News Fund.

The Neeper Natural History Programming Fund for KNME-TV provides funding for “Our Land: New Mexico’s Environmental Past, Present & Future.”