Agricultural Labor

I am a strong supporter of establishing an effective, legal workforce for the agricultural sector in New York State. I recognize that affordable and reliable labor is an important factor in maintaining a viable farm operation. For these reasons, I am proud to co-sponsor the Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2007 in the 110th Congress, as I have done in previous Congresses. AgJobs has broad bipartisan support and is the result of years of negotiations among growers and workers. It represents a positive step, not only for New York’s agricultural workers, but for the agricultural industry and for New York’s economy. This would provide a legal process for adjusting the status of certain immigrant agricultural workers and would also provide rights and protections to individuals who are currently undocumented agricultural workers.

Read more about my work on labor issues >