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A dozen farm workers from Pindar Vineyards in Peconic are the first state-recognized agricultural union in New York City.
RWDSU Local 338 represents the 12 workers, who were certified on September 27 by the New York State Public Employment Relations Board.
The owners of Pindar Vineyards admitted on Friday that farm workers had organized, but otherwise declined to comment.
Union officials said agricultural workers will now be able to bargain collectively and negotiate benefits. They unionized under the Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act of 2019, which provides workplace protections such as workplace safety standards, pay increases, overtime and contractual requirements. in employment.
“For the first time, we can call agricultural workers in New York State to union members. For too long, agricultural workers have worked to feed our communities without the necessary workplace protections for themselves or their families, â€Stuart Appelbaum, president of Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union said in a statement. “It was a decades-long struggle to win the right of agricultural workers to organize in this state, and now the workers at Pindar Vineyards are seeing the seeds they planted come to fruition as they become the first in the state to be recognized as a union. “
Statements from farm workers said they wanted to organize for equal treatment, including sick days and paid time off, as well as “dignity and respect.”
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