Farm workers

East End farms are entering the growing season under a cloud of uncertainty, as deportation fears may further strain an already fragile farm labor picture.

The overtime threshold for farm workers in New York would be reduced from 60 to 40 hours a week over the next 10 years, if a recommendation from the state’s Farm Laborers Wage Board is adopted by the state. 

Workers at Pindar Vineyards in Peconic this fall became the first farm workers to organize and form a union under the 2019 Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act. Workers, the Long Island Farm Bureau and the union weigh in on what this will mean for farm workers and farm owners in the local region.

“As immigrant workers, we can be successful...we can grow our own futures.," cofounder and director of the new Long Island Farm Workers Cooperative said.

Members of the L.I. Farm Bureau told Rep. Lee Zeldin their need for immigration reform is urgent: they are facing a severe labor shortage that’s jeopardizing their ability to expand — and even their ability to survive.