Statement from Upstate United Regarding Farm Laborers Wage Board Report

September 6th, 2022

The following statement is attributable to Justin Wilcox, executive director of Upstate United 

“The report advanced today by the Farm Laborers Wage Board is a death sentence for many family farms across the state. Wage Board members Brenda McDuffie and Dennis Hughes ignored the pleas of hardworking farmworkers and farmers – the majority of whom oppose a lower overtime threshold – and advanced recommendations that will undoubtedly lead to fewer farms and fewer jobs.

The fact remains that New York State has lost more than 3,800 farms over the last 20 years. Under a 40-hour overtime threshold, that number will unfortunately rise. If Governor Hochul truly cares about the future of farming – a sector that is essential to Upstate New York – she must instruct Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon to reject the Wage Board’s report and await the results of the 2022 Census from the United States Department of Agriculture before taking any further actions.

The future of farming now rests in the hands of Governor Hochul. We urge the governor to fulfill her pledge to make New York the most business-friendly state in the nation and save struggling family farms from these reckless recommendations.”