New Mexico labor announced a legal settlement that resolves longstanding accusations of unpaid wages against a restaurant business in northwestern New Mexico.

The Workforce Solutions Department said in a news release that 505 Burgers Farmington LLC has agreed to pay out $100,000 to resolve claims by two former employees that they received only a small portion of the wages they were due for more than 3,000 hours of work, including overtime.

The settlement resolves a complaint originally filed in 2017 by Francisco and Sandra Olivas with the state labor relations division that wound its way through an administrative investigation before going to trial in 2022. The New Mexico Court of Appeals rejected a challenge by the employer before a final settlement was reached.

505 Burgers owner Morgan Newsom declined to comment on the settlement.

Workforce Solutions Secretary Sarita Nair said her agency strives to provide education and training to businesses to ensure employees are paid fairly.

“But when prevention does not work, our capable team will pursue these cases for workers, no matter how long it takes,” she said in a statement.

New Mexico workplace regulators have struggled in the past to keep pace with complaints of alleged wage theft linked to enforcement of the state’s minimum wage law.

The state labor relations division said it collected more than $689,000 during the 12-month period ending in June 2023 for New Mexico workers claiming underpayment or nonpayment of wages. Most of the complaints have raised allegations of unpaid overtime, failure to pay minimum wage and an employer withholding a final paycheck.

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New Mexico State transfer guard/forward Femi Odukale committed to Minnesota Wednesday, after visiting the program earlier this week.

Listed at 6-foot-6, 205 pounds he averaged 10.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists last season for the Aggies in 28.7 minutes per game.

Last season was his first in Las Cruces, New Mexico, after playing one year in Seton Hall and beginning his college career with two season at Pittsburgh. He will have one year of eligibility left with the Gophers.

After adding Macalester transfer shooting guard Caleb Williams earlier today from the transfer portal, Odukale has a chance to replace star freshman Cam Christie who is likely off to the NBA Draft at the two or three starting spot for Ben Johnson and the Gophers.

Minnesota now has three open scholarships to work with, as they continue to look for players in the transfer portal.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Today, following disturbing reports that New Mexico State Police and University of New Mexico (UNM) Police used teargas and arrested protestors on UNM’s campus, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico warned university leaders and law enforcement that students have constitutionally protected rights to peaceful protest, expression, and speech on public campuses— even speech that some may find controversial or offensive. 

The following statement can be attributed to Peter Simonson, ACLU-NM Executive Director:  

“Students have the constitutional right to peacefully protest, speak, and express their opinions. The New Mexico Constitution extends even greater protections in this regard than the U.S. Constitution. Protest is a pillar of democracy and a fundamental freedom that has shaped the history of our nation. We call on New Mexico’s college and university leaders and police to respect students’ rights to publicly advocate for causes they believe in. The ACLU of New Mexico is closely monitoring the situation.  

To be clear, not every form of speech is protected everywhere. However, we are disturbed by the recordings of this week’s arrests on UNM’s campus and will be investigating. Armed police in riot gear have no place at a peaceful campus protest. Arresting peaceful protestors does not make anyone safer. We urge university leaders to remain flexible and give students space to express their views given the volatility of this moment.” 

If students believe campus administrators or law enforcement have violated their rights, ACLU-NM encourages them to submit a complaint on our website. Know-your-rights information for protesting on campus is here.