Albany Bishop Ed Scharfenberger joined farmworkers rallying Thursday at New York's Capitol for legislation to guarantee them overtime pay while removing the state's ban on their union organizing.
Some farmworkers have been on a two week march from Long Island to Albany, saying they need the same legal protections as other workers.
Members of Catholic Charities of the Albany Diocese led by Scharfenberger were also on hand.
The New York constitution guarantees workers the right to unionize, but state law excludes its 60,000 agricultural workers.
About 10,000 of the state's 35,500 farms hire them and are required to pay New York's $9 minimum wage.
The New York Farm Bureau says additional costs of overtime in short, weather-driven seasons and union rules would drive some farms out of business.
© 2016 The Associated Press.