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Editorial, New York Daily News Greener pastures The state's labor movement, led by New York State AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes, is pressing the Legislature to grant farm workers employment rights that virtually all other wage earners take for granted. This is the year the state Senate - in the person of Majority Leader Joe Bruno - must at last give its blessing. New York labor laws exempt growers from having to pay overtime to field hands after a 40-hour week and having to allow at least one unpaid day off per week. The workers are barred from bargaining collectively. The Democratic-led Assembly has repeatedly voted to end farm labor injustices, and there is overwhelming support in the Senate for following suit. But Bruno has balked. Under pressure from the Farm Bureau, he has prevented the Senate Labor Committee from even holding a hearing on the issue, despite the fact that the panel's chair and half its GOP members are sponsors of workers' rights legislation. The measure would pass easily, were Bruno to let it out of committee. The case for action grew stronger last month, when the Legislature approved $40 million in assistance for growers. Having voted to help the farmers with public money, Bruno must do right by the laborers who pick the crops.
Last Updated:05/28/2008 |