So on October 25th, the New York State AFL-CIO held its first Town Hall Forum to discuss the plight of farm workers in this state. New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, Senate Labor Committee Chair Nicholas Spano, Assembly Labor Committee Chair Cathy Nolan and Assemblyman Howard Mills attended the event in Chester, New York. They listened to first-hand accounts of the daily labor hardships these workers must endure. Then on November 29th, President Hughes was joined by United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, Westchester Habitat for Humanity President Jim Killoran and Carolyn Mow of the Independent Farmworkers Center for a tour of housing areas in the Hudson Valley and a meeting with farmworkers to discuss their living conditions. And that led us to the events of the past few weeks.
Today marks a historic first step on the road to a brighter future for all farmworkers.