Austyn Gaffney and Anna Watts at Documented report: Lazaro, a 67-year-old Dairy Worker in New York, has hopped between 20 different farms in the 12 years he’s been in the United States. But his work on a Dairy Farm in Western New York this Fall was the worst he’s experienced, he said. Eighteen people shared one house. He was paid the legal minimum wage of $15.50 an hour, but he worked about 70 hours a week and wasn’t given overtime pay. In the Winter, he switched farms - and now works 52 hours a week at $16 an hour - the State’s current minimum wage. He also shares a home with 12 other people. He said the lower hours are better because working too much negatively impacts his health. Like many of the Dairy Workers in New York who spoke with Documented for this article, Lazaro does not have legal status. They are part of the labor force powering the State’s $3.9 billion dairy industry, the fifth largest in the country. For years, this workforce has been trying to Unionize to address what they see as rampant mistreatment in the industry, but under the second Trump Administration, fear and suspicion have become more constant in the lives of Immigrant Dairy Workers, hampering local efforts. Now, Lazaro and other Farm Workers have pivoted to rally around the New York For All Act, proposed State legislation meant to protect Immigrants without permanent legal status, including Farm and Food Workers, from Immigration Enforcement, which detained dozens since January 2025, including raids at a Confectionery and a large-scale Vegetable Farm. The Bill hasn’t moved out of Committee. “I have that fear that follows you everywhere of not knowing whether Immigration is going to come,” said Lazaro, who was one of about 10 Farm Workers who traveled to Albany in March to rally in support of the Bill, holding up a sign and demonstrating near the Capital. He asked to only use his first name only for fear of Immigration Enforcement.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Immigrant Dairy Workers Rally to Fight Mistreatment at N.Y. Farms