The daughter of Robert F. Kennedy appeared in Buffalo Friday to rally behind the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act.
Kerry Kennedy, president of the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights, joined local workers and advocates on the city’s West Side to rally in support of the act.
"My father, Robert Kennedy, cared deeply for the people who grow and harvest our food. But more than four decades since he and Cesar Chavez broke bread together, the basic civil rights they fought for remain a dream deferred for millions of farmworkers across America. Our state legislators came to Albany to be leaders, to help build a brighter future for our state. This is the time to lead: to finally allow farm workers to enjoy the same basic rights as the rest of us. I want to thank Senator Kennedy for standing with me in this fight for fairness for all workers," said Ms. Kennedy.
Kennedy was joined by State Senator Tim Kennedy along Massachusetts Avenue, near one of the city’s urban farms.
The act calls for fundamental fairness for all workers. Senator Kennedy and Ms. Kennedy urged action on this long-stalled legislation. They say it would grant basic labor rights to those who work very day on farms across New York State, as well as providing safe working conditions.
Senator Kennedy is co-sponsor of the legislation. The bill seeks to extend basic labor protections such as a day of rest, temporary disability insurance if injured on the job and collective bargaining rights to New York’s farmworkers.
“All workers deserve fair treatment and fair wages for a fair day’s work. Sadly, farmworkers in New York State have been denied this fundamental fairness for decades,” said Senator Kennedy “The basic rights denied to farmworkers are an injustice that still festers in New York State. It’s an unfairness that persists, despite the efforts of so many. It’s unacceptable, and it needs to change. The Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act will bring much-needed justice and fairness for all workers in our state. It will extend basic labor rights to those individuals and families who toil every day to grow and harvest the produce that ends up on our dinner tables and in our kids’ lunches."
The Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act aims to extend the basic, fundamental rights that most workers take for granted, but farmworkers have long been denied. The bill would:
- Extend collective bargaining rights to farm laborers;
- Ensure farmworkers are granted one day of rest each week;
- Require farmworkers to be fairly compensated for overtime, and establishes an overtime rate for farmworkers who work more than 10 hours a day, sixty hours a week, or six days a week;
- Grant farm laborers access to temporary disability insurance coverage and unemployment benefits;
- Prohibit farmworkers who are underage from being paid less than the minimum wage;
- Expand the state’s sanitary code to cover all housing – not just large housing facilities – offered to migrant farm labor;
- Require foremen to notify the employer when they receive notice of an employee suffering an on-the-job injury;
- Outlaw the termination of an employee who is injured in the course of employment.
Senator Kennedy believes they have the votes necessary to ensure the bill’s passage in the Senate. As of Friday, 27 senators have signed on to support the legislation, and other senators have committed to vote for the legislation behind closed doors.
“If the bill comes to the floor for a vote, we believe it will pass,” Senator Kennedy said. “We may be closer than ever, but there’s still more work ahead. We must keep up the pressure as we approach the final days of the legislative session."