The statement points out that other employee classes aren’t able to collectively bargain, and call the Governor’s position a “disservice to farmers that make up the backbone of (New York’s) rural economy.”
In his statement, Governor Cuomo called the notion that farmworkers aren’t afforded the right to organize “unacceptable, and appears to violate the New York State Constitution.”
“We will not tolerate the abuse or exploitation of farmers in any industry. This clear and undeniable injustice must be corrected.”
NYCLU says it filed the lawsuit on behalf of a farmworker named Crispin Hernandez, who was fired from Marks Farms in Lowville after his employer found him discussing work conditions after hours and in a personal residence.