New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento Applauds Farm Laborers Wage Board Recommendation

Albany, NY – “The Farm Laborers Wage Board made the right decision recommending a phased-in overtime plan that will create equity and equality for farmworkers,” said Mario Cilento, president of the New York State AFL-CIO.

“The New York State AFL-CIO has fought alongside farmworkers for more than 20 years to reach this goal. The phased-in overtime threshold will get these hard-working men and women to the same 40-hour standard for overtime as other workers. 

“We have said from the very beginning that this is an achievable goal. Now, we call on the Wage Board to promptly issue its report and for the Commissioner of Labor to adopt the recommendation and report so that farmworkers will finally be fairly compensated for the essential and often physically grueling work they do.

“We thank the farmworkers for their courage in the face of injustice; they are an inspiration to everyone fighting for a better New York,” Cilento said.