News
January 28 2026
Union roots bear fruit for Jamaican farm workers in NY
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Farmers protesting at Wafler Farms.
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Armando Elenes, secretary-treasurer of the United Farm Workers Labor Union.
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.
