BOSTON – Massachusetts continues to wait patiently for the bill to address the issues of low wages and the lack of an overtime pay system for farmworkers in the state.
The Fairness for Farmworkers Act (S.1205/H.1979) sits currently with the Legislature’s Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, awaiting a report before the May 13 deadline.
Under the current law, farmworkers can be paid a sub-minimum wage of $8 per hour. This contrasts with the state’s minimum wage which has grown from $11 per hour in 2019 to $13.50 in 2021 and is set to increase to $15 per hour next year.
The law also doesn’t provide overtime pay for farmworkers who work for nearly 10 hours a day or more.
“Given Massachusetts’ stance as a state that likes to promote workers’ rights and being on the forefront of progressive issues, now is the time for the state to provide equity and dignity to these workers who do so much for everybody,” said Claudia Quintero, a staff attorney for the Central West Justice Center. “As a state, we are falling behind other progressive states who have already passed similar legislation.”
New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Washington, Colorado, and California are the few states that have passed bills to include farmworkers under their minimum wage umbrella.
The proposed bill seeks to include farmworkers in the state’s minimum wage category. It also includes overtime pay after working more than 55 hours a week for seasonal farmworkers and 40 hours for those who work all year...
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