“It defies logic that the right to organize without retaliation would be afforded to virtually every worker in New York State, yet exclude farmworkers in a seemingly clear violation of our constitutional principles,” Mr. Cuomo said in statement. “The mere suggestion otherwise may fit the activists’ narrative, but is not a fair and accurate portrayal of life that was documented on farms in this state,” Mr. Fisher said. Advertisement Continue reading the main storyThe federal law that permits workers the right to organize, the National Labor Relations Act, was enacted in 1935. New York’s state law was modeled on the federal law and enacted in 1937. Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said the law, both federal and state, is a Jim Crow-era holdover.

Source: New York Times July 19, 2017 20:20 UTC