Farm Group Can Intervene In Suit Over Union Ban On NY Farms

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A judge has allowed the New York Farm Bureau to intervene in a lawsuit that could dramatically affect farm wages in the state.

The New York Civil Liberties Union in May filed a legal challenge to a state law that prohibits farmworkers from unionizing. The NYCLU claims the law is unconstitutional, while opponents say allowing unions on farms could lead to higher labor costs and strikes among New York's 60,000 agricultural workers.

A state judge recently granted the Farm Bureau's motion to intervene. The farmers' group says they intend to file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo decided his administration would not seek to defend the law in the face of the lawsuit by the NYCLU.

[STORY BY: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS]