New York, NY — Yesterday, a New York appellate court declared unconstitutional an exclusion in state law that denied farmworkers the right to organize and collectively bargain. Hispanic Federation President José Calderon issued the following statement on the court ruling:
“The men and women who work day in and day out to put food on our tables – and sustain New York’s vibrant agricultural and restaurant industries – have been denied the most basic of rights for decades on end. To the great shame of our state, we have allowed this essential group of workers to toil our fields without a right to a day off, overtime pay, protections in the workplace or means to organize for fair wages and working conditions.”
“Today’s court decision starts to chip away at this injustice, and gives needed momentum to the Farm Workers Rights Bill that is awaiting passage in the New York State Senate right now. The time has come for this bill to pass and finally end the discrimination that our farmworkers have endured for far too long. Hispanic Federation will continue to work with a broad coalition of elected, community, faith-based and labor leaders to ensure that happens this year.”
