As a 2016 California law requiring agricultural employers to pay overtime continues to roll out in 2023, farmworkers and employers alike say the policy is costing them money.
“Last year was one of the worst years that we ever had financially,” said Marco Mendoza, a farmworker based in the Fresno County city of Kerman in an interview with The Bee/Fresnoland on Tuesday.
Farmworkers say since the new law passed, they’re largely not being paid overtime, and their hours – and take-home pay – have been reduced as a result, making it harder to cover basic living expenses such as food and rent.
Former Gov. Jerry Brown signed the law in 2016 creating a ‘historic’ expansion of overtime rules for farmworkers.
As of Jan. 1, agricultural employers who employ 25 or fewer employees must start to pay overtime, or 1.5 rate of regular pay, to their employees that work over 50 hours a week, or nine hours per day. As of last year, larger agricultural employers with 26 or more employees have been required to pay overtime to workers who work above 40 hours per week, or eight hours per day. Full implementation of the law will be in effect by 2025.
The new overtime law has been “frustrating” for ag employers and employees alike as the exceeded operational costs has forced growers to slash hours, said Ian LeMay, president of the California Fresh Fruit Association, in an interview with The Bee/Fresnoland on Wednesday. The association is one of several ag industry groups that opposed the law when it...
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