Categories: Politics

Opposing New York farmworkers’ right to organize? Bring it on.

After several months of radio silence, Albany County Supreme Court Judge Richard McNally has decided to allow the New York Farm Bureau to defend a farmworkers’ rights lawsuit in place of Governor Cuomo and Attorney General Schneiderman.

Governor Cuomo declined to defend the lawsuit.

Back in May, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) sued the state of New York for farmworkers’ rights to collective bargaining. Here’s our explainer on the convoluted history of that 80-year battle.

Governor Cuomo declined to defend the lawsuit, signaling that he agreed with the NYCLU. Judge McNally’s decision means the Farm Bureau will assume the role of defendant in place of the state.

Related Post

In a press release on Monday, the Farm Bureau said it was “extremely pleased.” Bureau president Dean Norton added that “the court’s decision will allow our grassroots organization to vigorously push back against labor activists who seek to impose their will on family farms across the state.” The Bureau has motioned to have the case dismissed.

The NYCLU did not object to the Farm Bureau’s involvement in the case. In a press release on Monday,  lead counsel Erin Beth Harrist offered a statement. “For all the Farm Bureau’s powerful lobbying, the law is unconstitutional and we believe the courts will have no choice but to agree.”

H. Claire Brown
Share
Published by
H. Claire Brown

Recent Posts

Grist acquires The Counter and launches food and agriculture vertical

Grist, an award-winning, nonprofit media organization dedicated to highlighting climate solutions and uncovering environmental injustices,…

6 months ago

Is California giving its methane digesters too much credit?

Every year, California dairy farms emit hundreds of thousands of tons of the potent greenhouse…

3 years ago

Your car is killing coho salmon

Highway 7 runs north-south through western Washington, carving its way through a landscape sparsely dotted…

3 years ago

The pandemic has transformed America’s dining landscape into an oligopoly dominated by chains 

One of the greatest pleasures I had as a child growing up in the Chicago…

3 years ago

California is moving toward food assistance for all populations—including undocumented immigrants

Undocumented immigrants experience food insecurity at much higher rates than other populations, yet they are…

3 years ago

Babka, borscht … and pumpkin spice? Two writers talk about Jewish identity through contemporary cookbooks.

Writer Charlotte Druckman and editor Rebecca Flint Marx are both Jewish journalists living in New…

3 years ago