[1] Office of the New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. “Agriculture in New York State.” https://www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/economic/agriculture-report-2018.pdf [2] Rural & Migrant Ministry. “Farmworker Testimonies: Stories from the Field.” http://ruralmigrantministry.org/sites/default/files/docs/RMM%20Farmworker%20Testimonies%20-%20English%20%284%29.pdf WE MUST ACT NOW! SUPPORT NYS FARMWORKERS An Open Leer from Concerned New Yorkers in Support of the Farmworker Fair Labor Practices Act Dear Members of the Legislature and Governor Cuomo: Nearly 80 years have passed since Jim Crow-era racial bias caused farmworkers to be excluded from the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Yet New York has perpetuated the exclusion of farmworkers from labor rights, while the State continues to have one of the nation’s largest and most robust agricultural economies. In 2017, New York farms generated over $4.8 billion in revenue and contributed nearly $2.4 billion to our gross domestic product. [1] As our farmers see their economic situation improving, many of our farmworkers do not. These workers, many of them immigrants, some of them undocumented, work 60 to 80 hours a week without workers’ compensation, overtime pay and while facing exploitation and oppression on a regular basis. [2] They are also denied the right to organize and bargain, which is guaranteed to employees under the New York State Constitution. To deny this already vulnerable population the equal access to protections and benefits in their place of work contradicts our values as a state and as a country. We urge our State Legislature and the Governor to pass into law the Farmworker Fair Labor Practices Act (S2837/A2750) before the end of the 2019 legislative session. We are counting on your leadership to guide New York in the right direction and help remove the statutory exclusions that deny farmworkers the right to collective bargaining, a day of rest, overtime pay, disability and unemployment insurance, and other fundamental rights bestowed upon all other workers in the state. This is not about putting farmworkers ahead of the farms. It is about lifting an entire industry in our great state. It is about basic human rights, and ensuring that farmworkers will be treated humanely, with respect and dignity. Sincerely, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan Archbishop of NY José Calderón President Hispanic Federation Juan Cartagena President & General Counsel LatinoJustice PRLDEF Jo-Ann Yoo Executive Director Asian American Federation Wayne Ho President & CEO Chinese-American Planning Council Lin-Manuel Miranda Chef Dan Barber Rev. Richard Witt Executive Director Rural & Migrant Ministry Donna Lieberman Executive Director NY Civil Liberties Union Arva Rice President NY Urban League Kerry Kennedy President Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Chef José Andrés Michael Mulgrew President United Federation of Teachers Anita Gundanna Vanessa Leung Co-Executive Directors Coalition for Asian American Children + Families Hazel N. Dukes President NAACP New York State Conference

WE MUST ACT NOW! - Hispanic FederationLin-Manuel Miranda Chef Dan Barber Rev. Richard Witt Executive Director Rural & Migrant Ministry Donna Lieberman Executive Director NY Civil Liberties

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Page 1: WE MUST ACT NOW! - Hispanic FederationLin-Manuel Miranda Chef Dan Barber Rev. Richard Witt Executive Director Rural & Migrant Ministry Donna Lieberman Executive Director NY Civil Liberties

[1]OfficeoftheNewYorkStateComptrollerThomasP.DiNapoli.“AgricultureinNewYorkState.” https://www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/economic/agriculture-report-2018.pdf[2]Rural&MigrantMinistry.“FarmworkerTestimonies:StoriesfromtheField.” http://ruralmigrantministry.org/sites/default/files/docs/RMM%20Farmworker%20Testimonies%20-%20English%20%284%29.pdf

W E M U S TACT N OW !S U P P O R T N Y S FA R M W O R K E R S

An Open Letter from Concerned New Yorkers in Support of the Farmworker Fair Labor Practices Act

DearMembersoftheLegislatureandGovernorCuomo:

Nearly80yearshavepassedsinceJimCrow-eraracialbiascausedfarmworkerstobeexcludedfromtheFederalFairLaborStandardsAct.YetNewYorkhasperpetuatedtheexclusionoffarmworkersfromlaborrights,whiletheStatecontinuestohaveoneofthenation’slargestandmostrobustagriculturaleconomies.In2017,NewYorkfarmsgeneratedover$4.8billioninrevenueandcontributednearly$2.4billiontoourgrossdomesticproduct.[1]

Asourfarmersseetheireconomicsituationimproving,manyofourfarmworkersdonot.Theseworkers,manyofthemimmigrants,someofthemundocumented,work60to80hoursaweekwithoutworkers’compensation,overtimepayandwhilefacingexploitationandoppressiononaregularbasis.[2]Theyarealsodeniedtherighttoorganizeandbargain,whichisguaranteedtoemployeesundertheNewYorkStateConstitution.Todenythisalreadyvulnerablepopulationtheequalaccesstoprotections

andbenefitsintheirplaceofworkcontradictsourvaluesasastateandasacountry.

We urge our State Legislature and the Governor to pass into law the Farmworker Fair Labor Practices Act (S2837/A2750) before the end of the 2019 legislative session. We are counting on your leadership to guide New York in the right direction and help remove the statutory exclusions that deny farmworkers the right to collective bargaining, a day of rest, overtime pay, disability and unemployment insurance, and other fundamental rights bestowed upon all other workers in the state.

Thisisnotaboutputtingfarmworkersaheadofthefarms.Itisaboutliftinganentireindustryinourgreatstate.Itisaboutbasichumanrights,andensuringthatfarmworkerswillbetreatedhumanely,withrespectanddignity.

Sincerely,Cardinal Timothy M. DolanArchbishopofNY

José CalderónPresidentHispanicFederation

Juan CartagenaPresident&GeneralCounselLatinoJusticePRLDEF

Jo-Ann YooExecutiveDirectorAsianAmericanFederation

Wayne HoPresident&CEOChinese-AmericanPlanningCouncil

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Chef Dan Barber

Rev. Richard WittExecutiveDirectorRural&MigrantMinistry

Donna LiebermanExecutiveDirectorNYCivilLibertiesUnion

Arva RicePresidentNYUrbanLeague

Kerry KennedyPresidentRobertF.KennedyHumanRights

Chef José Andrés