Blue Hill farm store workers ratify 1st union contract

Blue Hill Grow Store workers unionize in a unanimous vote

Nine employees at Gravelwood Farm Grow Store in Blue Hill voted unanimously to ratify their first union contract.

Blue Hill farm store workers ratify 1st union contract

The employees of Gravelwood Farm Grow Store unionized as part of the International Association Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 4. All nine employees voted to ratify their contract on May 15. The contract grants workers cost-of-living adjustments, a 401(k) retirement plan, paid holidays and 40 hours of paid leave. Employees will also have more involvement in discussion impacting how the store works. “This is a great opportunity fo…

An Upstate Orchard Is Putting New Farmworker Protections to the Test

Earlier this month, about a dozen workers arrived in Wolcott, a small town halfway between Rochester and Syracuse, to grow apple trees. At this time of year, farmworkers are grafting and budding — farmer-speak for fusing trees together — and planting long rows of seedlings. They traveled to Wafler Farms, an apple orchard and fruit tree nursery, from Jamaica. Some have been making the journey for many years, living on the farm for up to three sea…