Every dollar matters to Gabriel Gomez Rojas, whose work in New York’s agriculture industry supports family living in the U.S. and Mexico. Rojas worries a cut to his hours could result in the loss of $300 in weekly pay — an unsustainable decrease.
Seventy- to 80-hour work weeks were common for Ismael, who declined to provide his full name, when he began working in New York state’s dairy industry nearly a decade ago. Now, as he approaches his 30th birthday, he has a wife and 7-month-old baby he’d like to spend more time with, and those long hours of labor have taken a toll on his body.
Both Ismael and Rojas made their comments through interpreters to the Farm Laborers Wage Board, which held four public hearings this month as it considered lowering the overtime threshold for agriculture workers from 60 to 40 hours. For Ismael, lowering the threshold would better compensate him for the long hours that take him away from his family, but workers like Rojas fear employers will simply cut their hours to avoid the additional expense.
Each hearing was filled with dozens of farm laborers, farm owners and advocates testifying about a policy that could forever change the landscape of New York agriculture. Proponents say lowering the threshold would correct a historical injustice and...
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