P-J file photo

Democrats representing rural areas of New York state have come out against the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act.

The officers and board of the Democratic Rural Conference of New York State passed a resolution today opposing passage of the act as it is currently constituted.

“We applaud the goals of this legislation,” said Judith Hunter of Livingston County and chair of the Democratic Rural Conference. “We support collective bargaining for farm laborers and understand that it is required under a recent court ruling. However, the bill as it is currently written simply does not adequately reflect the reality of agriculture in New York State, which is in a particularly precarious position this year. We hope that the laudable goals of this legislation can be accomplished through the budget process next year, when protections for farm workers can be combined with incentives and support for famers that will help the entire agricultural sector. We can find common ground here.”

“California is often mentioned as a state that implemented legislation similar to the FFLPA with no ill effects, but farmers in California usually don’t have to deal with the weather conditions that can make agriculture so time-sensitive in rural New York. New York farms are also smaller, and many are family owned,” Hunter continued. “Any eventual legislation should protect our farmworkers, clearly, but it should also protect our farmers. They are unable to pass on higher production costs by charging higher prices, because those prices are set by market forces beyond their control. Already, dairy farmers find themselves getting less for their milk than it costs them to produce. New York agriculture also must be supported as it works to become more competitive, more sustainable, and more resilient in the face of climate change. Our rural economy depends on agriculture, and we are concerned that agriculture be able to recover from its current difficulties stronger than ever.”

The Democratic Rural Conference was founded in 1996 to represent Democrats in counties in New York with populations of 250,000 or less (47 of New York’s 62 counties).