Albany – In the latest victory for the UFW, an arbitrator appointed by the New York Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) has issued an opinion and award establishing a Collective Bargaining Agreement between UFW and Wafler Farms, an apple producer and nursery in upstate New York. This decision follows nearly 2 years of Wafler Farms refusing to bargain in good faith with the UFW after farm workers at Wafler Farms voted to unionize and were certified in May 2023. The UFW filed for arbitration on May 1, 2024, following Wafler Farms continued refusal to negotiate a union contract. In response to the arbitrator’s ruling, the UFW released the following statement:
“This is a historic victory for the workers at Wafler Farms, who will enjoy the protections and benefits of a UFW contract for the first time,” said UFW Secretary Treasurer Armando Elenes. “Make no mistake: This contract has been ordered by the State of New York. More importantly, it is the right and demand of the farm workers who have done the real work at Wafler Farms for decades. We expect Wafler Farms to abide by its terms.”
Workers at Wafler Farms have raised concerns about workplace treatment in the workplace, including instances of verbal abuse documented by UFW members and exposed in a now-viral video. Around 130 workers, including both local and seasonal workers, will be covered by the contract. Major benefits to the UFW contract include:
- A pension plan for retirement.
- Immediate wage increases.
- Seniority rights and job protections.
- A union grievance process.
- Employer provided equipment and clothing necessary for work.
- 9 paid holidays.
The UFW is the nation’s largest and oldest farm worker union. Wafler Farms is the second farm in the State of New York to be covered by a UFW contract since the passage of a historic law granting agricultural workers in New York the right to unionize in 2019.
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