Farmers and advocates will continue to push New York state Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon to see things their way after the Farm Laborers Wage Board submitted its final report to the commissioner Tuesday, voting to recommend reducing the state overtime threshold for farm workers to 40 hours.
The three-member board, with chair Brenda McDuffie, former president and CEO of the Buffalo Urban League; New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher; and Denis Hughes, former state AFL-CIO president; voted 2-1 in what may be the trio's final meeting late Tuesday afternoon. They voted to submit the report recommending a gradual phase-in of the 40-hour threshold down from 60 hours over the next decade.
"What's become clear throughout these proceedings is that action is needed," McDuffie said. "It is our duty to protect tens of thousands of farm workers and align their rights with those in other industries. We also have a duty to protect the farmers and farmers who are a significant part of our state's economy and responsible for feeding New Yorkers and beyond."
Threshold will be lowered to 56 hrs Jan. 1, 2024
— Kate Lisa (@KaitlynnLisa) September 6, 2022
52 hrs on Jan. 1, 2026
48 hrs on Jan. 1, 2028
44 hrs on Jan. 1, 2030
Reaching 40 hrs Jan. 1, 2032
"We believe that this decision protects the right of farm laborers while taking into account the needs of farmers," Duffie says.
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