Dear Supporters of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights,
Thank you for standing strong with us in defense of human rights. Last week brought a historic victory that we wanted to share with you: Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights has been working for over a decade to empower and improve the lives of New York State farmworkers. Just last week, the state legislature in Albany passed the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act.
Achieving this milestone is a momentous win in our fight for equality and justice. Farmworkers are the backbone of New York’s immense agricultural industry, and this bill provides them with collective bargaining rights, overtime compensation, disability insurance, and the right to a day off each week.
Before this bill, it was the legacy of Jim Crow that led to federal and state laws that excluded farmworkers from receiving fundamental labor protections. Thanks to the perseverance of our partners and farmworker and labor advocates, these discriminatory and exploitative laws have finally been repealed in all their forms.
We salute our partners—Rural & Migrant Ministry Inc., National Employment Law Project, the New York AFL-CIO, New York State United Teachers, NYCLU, the Workers Justice Center, and everyone involved in the Justice for Farmworkers campaign—and labor leader Dolores Huerta for their tireless efforts to advance farmworkers’ rights. And we thank you, our supporters. It is with your help that we continue to combat social inequalities and protect those vulnerable to human rights abuses.
Onward,
Kerry Kennedy