Troy, NY- The 8th Annual New York Labor Roadshow took place on Wednesday, December 11th and Friday, December 13th in Troy, NY and Geneva, NY, respectively. These sessions helped farmers better understand and implement key human resource solutions in national and NYS agriculture. Topics discussed included protecting yourself during an I-9 audit, overtime and payroll compliance, union organizing, managing farm housing, employee benefits and insurance, and opportunities to learn English and Spanish. These sessions equipped farmers with the knowledge to better navigate day to day operations, such as labor payment guidelines and heat safety OSHA regulations.
The Troy session was opened by Dr. Richard Stup, with the quote, “The only constant in life is change.” This was a true testament to the importance of the labor roadshow, which helps farmers stay on top of a changing labor policy and safety landscape. After Dr. Stup’s introduction, the topic of farm employee healthcare was presented by SunRiver Health. Sherry Wyckoff, the Vice President of Operations at SunRiver Health, gave the audience an overview of the value SunRiver can bring to farmers.
SunRiver includes a system of federally-qualified health centers that allows patients to pay what they are able, and offers services including urgent care, dentistry and substance use treatments. These centers see over one million agricultural workers and their families. In addition to SunRiver, a New York Health Navigator explained the NYS health plan marketplace that covers a third of people in NYS and includes free preventative care, providing an additional healthcare option for farmers to connect their employees with.
In addition to healthcare benefits, farm provided employee housing is a topic that is top-of-mind to many farmers. Attendees heard directly from a panel of producers sharing their individual experiences of transitioning into providing farm employee housing.
“It takes time to make that transition,” said Randy Walker of Landview Farms. went on to emphasize the need for buy-in from employees, noting that his family assists employees with doctor visits, celebrates employee birthdays, and ensures that any feedback is quickly taken into consideration. He was joined on the panel by Jim Bittner of Bittner-Singer Orchards, who explained his process of renting apartments for employees. Jay Canzonier, panel moderator and Extension Support Specialist of Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development (CAWD), finished out the housing discussion by introducing a new tool offered by CAWD. The tool is called the Agricultural House Expense Calculator, which aids producers in calculating the true cost of farm provided employee housing.
Another key topic of 2024 was the spread of union membership within agriculture, after the passage of the State Employment Relations Act. The Act allowed farm laborers to bargain collectively. Boris Gautier of the Fisher Phillips law firm helped attendees understand what their role would be if their operation were to be unionized.
He highlighted the fact that employers have a duty to bargain with the union once they are notified (via mail), that their employees have voted to join a union, preferably using a lawyer. It was noted that if a conclusion between employees and employer cannot be reached, the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) will assign an arbitrator, and their determination will be final and binding. “A government-imposed contract on private parties is unprecedented,” said Gautier of this process.
As the Labor Roadshow came to a close, Dr. David Douphrate provided guidance for preventing heat stress in employees, as well as an H5N1 update. H5N1, commonly referred to as “bird flu”, has made headlines since March 2024, when it was first detected in cattle. Dr. Douphrate explained that 16 states and 720 herds have been affected, as well as over 50 workers testing positive for H5N1. He went on to explain that the USDA would be announcing a federal milk testing strategy, and states were expected to roll out their own protocols.
After Dr. Stup thanked attendees for attending Labor Roadshow VIII and closed out the day, producers and industry representatives lingered to catch up with one another. There was a sense of familiarity and community in the air as people made their way out, a testament to the New York Labor Roadshow’s ability to add personal and professional value to all those tuning in.
By Grace Dunham, Cornell University. Permission granted to repost, quote, and reprint with author attribution.
The post Reflecting on Labor Roadshow VIII by Grace Dunham appeared in The Ag Workforce Journal.
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