Rural & Migrant Ministry led a coalition on our annual Farmworker Albany Day on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, working with the New York State AFL-CIO, Worker Justice Center of New York, RWDSU, Workers Center of Central New York, and the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester.
This powerful group of organizations, alongside scores of participants, advanced a fundamental human rights agenda for farmworking families across New York State by meeting with legislators and key staff in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration; we also held a vigil in the Capitol’s Million Dollar Stairwell.
Farmworker Albany Day focused on securing and expanding fundamental human rights and protections for the tens of thousands of farmworkers driving New York’s agriculture sector, valued at nearly $10B, and rural families statewide. Despite key gains made through previous victories — most notably, the
Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act (FLFLPA) that closed loopholes in state labor law — farmworking families continue to face the effects of widespread labor exploitation, the devastating consequences of the Administration’s immigration and economic policies, and substantially limited access to essential services, opportunities, and infrastructure. We continue to call on leaders in state government to embrace a comprehensive approach to addressing key barriers and injustices facing farmworking families, including rural children, throughout New York.
Specifically, we asked our legislators and Governor Hochul to:
- Stand firm in the face of opposition to the FLFLPA that could jeopardize the rights previously secured to collectively bargain, overtime, and a day of rest for farmworkers.
- Support the NYS TEMP Act (S.3412 Ramos/A.3527 Bronson) that would regulate farms and other worksites with temperature protection standards, education, and other requirements to ensure that employers provide safe conditions for their employees.
- End collusion between NY localities and federal immigration enforcement, prohibit contracts to house immigrants in detention facilities, and establish the right to universal counsel in immigration proceedings by supporting the New York for All, (S.2235 Gounardes/A.3506 Reyes) without loopholes, Dignity Not Detention (S.316 Salazar/A.4181 Reyes), and Access to Representation (S.141 Hoylman-Sigal/A.270 Cruz) bills.
- Support the Family Court Guardianship Act (S.8854A/Ramos) that would enable family members to seek guardianship for children whose parents are facing deportation.
- Enhance economic and social prosperity for millions of farmworking families throughout rural New York by ensuring access to educational opportunities and social services for youth and addressing infrastructural gaps in transportation and high-speed internet access.
