AUBURN (New York) CITIZEN

February 9, 2010

Nozzolio announces hearing on farmworker rights bill

Sen. Michael Nozzolio, R-Fayette, has announced the Senate Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on legislation that would grant farmworkers labor rights.

The Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act (S2247-B) will be the subject of the hearing held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 1 in Hearing Room A of the Legislative Office Building in Albany.

The bill has been criticized by farms and farmers who say it will have a negative impact on their operations. Opposition has been led by the New York Farm Bureau and business groups in the state. Supporters include the Justice for Farmworkers Campaign and labor unions.

Nozzolio is opposed to the bill and discussed why he opposes it in a statement.

""We must do everything possible to promote New York State agriculture. This bill does the opposite," he said. "It will drive up costs of production on every New York farm and make New York grown products much more costly and uncompetitive. If the legislation is enacted, more jobs will be lost and many farmers will be forced to close their operations."

If passed, the legislation would create a 60 hour work week for farm laborers that would evolve into a 55 hour work week after a set period of time. Overtime benefits would also be made available and for workers at the largest four percent of farms in New York, they would be able to take advantage of collective bargaining rights.

Several members of the Agriculture Committee are opposed to the bill, including the committee's chair, Sen. Darrel Aubertine, and another local leader, Sen. David Valesky, D-Oneida.

There was much controversy over the decision to move the bill to the Agriculture Committee. Supporters of the bill argued the Ag Committee lacks subject matter jurisdiction over the bill. Subject matter jurisdiction is a legal term used to describe whether or not a committee covers the area of focus regarding a certain piece of legislation. Opponents of the bill countered that argument, saying it is only right that a bill impacting farms and farmers should be reviewed by the committee.