Albany, N.Y.—Two state senators have scheduled three public hearings on the Farmworkers Fair Labor
Practices Act, a bill that would give farmworkers collective-bargaining rights, overtime pay, and at least one day a week off, and make them eligible for unemployment benefits and workers’ compensation. “It’s very important that we hear from farmers and farm workers as we weigh this legislation,” Sen. Jen Metzger (D-Rosendale), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said in a statement. The hearings will be April 25 in Morrisville, April 26 in Smithtown, and May 2 in Loch Sheldrake. The legislation has drawn opposition from the agriculture industry, which argues that it would drive up labor costs. “Enacting overtime beyond 40 hours a week and eight hours a day would be a difficult financial burden to bear,” Farm Bureau President David Fisher told the Albany Times Union. Supporters respond that farmworkers should have the same rights as other workers, and that the bill would not affect family-owned farms that don’t employ outside labor. “Farmworkers in New York State do not have the right to a day off, unemployment benefits, overtime pay, or the right to collectively bargain,” Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Queens) said. “That must change.” Read more
