Chris McKenna reports at The Fray that the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act, a bill that's been discussed for year but not voted on in Albany, now might get a vote. Republicans no longer control the State Senate, and now there are public hearings in three locations around New York planned this spring. “It’s very important that we hear from farmers and farm workers as we weigh this legislation and make sure that we are addressing the concerns and needs of all of those who will be affected,” State Sen. Jen Metzger said in a press release March 29. “We must take into careful consideration the realities of small and family-owned farm operations – the vast majority of farms in New York – and the long-term viability of agriculture in the state.” The bill would allow farm workers to unionize; require overtime pay after eight hours of work per day or 40 hours a week; and also offer unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation. Farm owners have been against the bill. The New York Farm Bureau supports a required day of rest for farm workers, but said overtime pay would be “a difficult financial burden to bear." Bureau President David Fisher said, "Farms compete in a marketplace and can’t just pass along price increases to recoup their losses, especially in this difficult farm economy.... The farm labor legislation as written will force farms out of business hurting the very workers the legislation is looking to assist.” Read the full story at The Fray.