Union roots bear fruit for Jamaican farm workers in NY

Jamaican seasonal farm workers at Wafler Farms in upstate New York are beginning the new crop season with higher wages and expanded labour protections under a new union contract negotiated by United Farm Workers (UFW).

The Wayne County apple orchard employs approximately 120 to 130 workers, the majority of whom are Jamaican.

For many, the agreement marks a significant improvement in pay and job security.

“We feel elated. Very happy,” Owen Salmon, a native of Black River, St Elizabeth, who has worked at Wafler Farms for nearly a decade, told The Gleaner.

Under the new contract, workers will earn US$19.39 per hour, with a scheduled increase to US$19.97 next year. The raise stands in contrast to conditions at non-union farms in New York, where wages are expected to fall following the Trump administration’s changes to the H-2A wage system.

The federal Adverse Effect Wage Rate, previously set at US$18.83 per hour, is slated to drop to US$16 under the revised rules. Employers will also be allowed to deduct housing costs from wages, further reducing take-home pay for workers living in employer-provided housing.

“We’re very happy for this union contract. We now have somebody who can represent us. We’re happy for this increase, but more so, we are happy for the recall rights,” Salmon stated.

LESS EARNINGS

He noted that workers on many non-union farms are earning less than last year despite rising inflation.

“With inflation and all these things, what would we be doing with a pay cut? We should be getting a pay increase,” he said.

The UFW contract covers all non-management agricultural workers at the farm, including year-round and seasonal local employees as well as H-2A visa workers. It is only the second UFW contract in New York since the Farm Workers Bill took effect in 2020, granting farm workers the legal right to unionise.

Workers secured the agreement after a years-long legal battle. They certified their union in 2023, but Wafler Farms sued to block the effort. A Wayne County judge ordered the farm to implement the contract in December, and the company has now complied.

UFW Secretary-Treasurer Armando Elenes said the contract would significantly improve workers’ overall welfare.

He told The Gleaner that unlike labourers on non-union farms, workers at Wafler Farms will now have seniority rights and formal avenues for recourse if they are not recalled.

The agreement also requires the employer to provide work gear such as boots and rain equipment, establish a retirement plan, and consult workers on the equipment they receive.

“The biggest thing for these workers is respect,” Elenes stated. “That’s why they came together. That’s why they wanted this change. For respect.”

He said the UFW is continuing to pursue contracts at other farms.

“With this change in administration, I think a lot of workers are waking up. They are starting to realise that they need to and they can fight back,” he said.

Jamaicans have travelled legally to the United States to work in agriculture since 1943 under temporary labour programmes. In recent years, an average of about 4,500 Jamaican farm workers have participated annually, with 4,700 workers taking part in 2024, primarily in northeastern states, where they can work for up to eight months.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com