NOVEMBER 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 31
PINDAR VINEYARD
NY’S FIRST FARM UNION
BY TIMOTHY BOLGER
A dozen agricultural workers at Pindar
Vineyards in Peconic were certifi ed last
month as the fi rst state-recognized farm
workers union in New York State.
The state Public Employment Relations
Board (PERB) certifi ed on September 27
Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW to represent
the vineyard’s 12 fi eld workers following
the 2019 passage of the Farm Laborers
Fair Labor Practices Act, which
grants agricultural workers the right
to collectively bargain for the fi rst time.
“PERB’s historic certifi cation is the next
step in securing dignity and respect for
the essential workers who ensure we
have food and beverages on our tables,”
said John Durso, president of Local 338
RWDSU/UFCW, who added that “agricultural
workers needed key protections
that they have lacked for decades, including
the right to join a union.”
Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW represents
approximately 13,000 workers in a
variety of industries statewide, including
food retail, pharmaceutical
retail, healthcare, human services,
transportation, and medical cannabis.
“For far too long, farmworkers have
worked to nourish our communities
without necessary workplace
protections for themselves or their
families,” said Stuart Appelbaum,
president of the Retail, Wholesale
and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
“It was a decades-long struggle
to win farmworkers’ right to organize
in this state, and now workers
at Pindar Vineyards are seeing the
seeds they planted come to fruition
by becoming the first in the state to
be recognized as a union. Now they
can begin negotiating the first-ever
union contract for farm workers in
New York.”
Labor leaders anticipate that more
farm workers will unionize as a result.
Pindar did not respond to a request for
comment. The workers celebrated their
certifi cation.
“My coworkers at Pindar and I joined
Local 338 because we want dignity and
respect,” said Rodolfo M., Local 338
RWDSU/UFCW member and worker
at Pindar Vineyards. “Our work should
be valued and only by receiving equal
treatment and things like sick days and
paid time off to spend with our loved
ones will it be. We know that being
a union member will help us get the
recognition we deserve for all of our
eff orts.”
Mario Cilento, president of the New
York State AFL-CIO, also cheered the
news.
“We welcome our first farmworker
siblings into the labor family," she
said. "The historic PERB certifi cation
means for the fi rst time, and because
of the passage of the Farm Laborers
Fair Labor Practices Act, farmworkers
will be part of a union that will give
them the dignity and respect they
deserve. This is the culmination of a
decades-long fi ght centered upon one
simple premise: that farm workers
deserve fairness, equality, and justice.
We are extremely proud of the eff orts
of Local 338 RWDSU/UFCWt.”
State Senator Jessica Ramos (D-Queens),
who helped pass the legislation, agreed.
“When we corrected the labor law
to give farmworkers the same basic
rights as other workers in New York
and rid our state of a Jim Crow sin,
we dreamt of the day workers would
answer the call to organize for better
wages and working conditions,” said
Ramos. “Welcome, Pindar Vineyards
workers, to the labor family and
congratulations on choosing RWDSU
Local 338. You’re stronger together
when negotiating a fair contract with
your employer.”
Rural & Migrant Ministry, Inc. Executive
Director the Rev. Richard Witt also
threw his weight behind the new union.
“This decision marks a significant
step in the journey to achieve a seat
at the table for our sisters and brothers,"
he said. "Decades ago, Rural &
Migrant Ministry, Inc. was asked by
farmworkers to stand alongside them
in their struggle to change the laws
which denied them dignity. Today,
we are proud to continue working
with RWDSU 338 as they represent
workers in negotiating fair and decent
contracts. New York’s labor movement
has done incredible work in the midst
of very challenging circumstances.
True justice for farmworkers is closer
than ever.”
This story fi rst appeared in Dan’s Papers.
New Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW members at Pindar Vineyards in Peconic
"We want dignity
and respect,”
said Rodolfo M.
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
