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Despite an intense lobbying effort by farm owners and their advocates, State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon last week signed off on provisions that will incrementally lower overtime thresholds for farmworkers from 60 hours to 40 hours.
In ratifying recommendations from a split Farm Laborers Wage Board, Reardon sanctioned a lowering of the 60-hour ceiling in 4-hour increments every two years beginning in 2024. Farmworkers will now be due overtime pay after working 56 hours on Jan. 1, 2024. The threshold will reach 40 hours on New Year’s Day 2032.
“I come from a farm community myself, so I know how important the agricultural sector is to the New York State economy. Based on the findings, I feel the Farm Laborers Wage Board’s recommendations are the best path forward to ensure equity for farm workers and success for agricultural businesses,” said Reardon.
The Farm Laborers Wage Board, which conducted hearings and heard testimony over a two-year period, formally conveyed its findings and recommendations to Reardon last month.
The board formally conveyed its findings and...
A recent investigation by the BBC has brought an uncomfortable issue into the open. Its undercover report, released on 16 April, alleges that some unregulated immigration advisers are encouraging ...