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ALBANY — New York's Farm Laborer Wage Board, citing the industry's relatively low pay, long hours and harsh physical toll, prompted the panel to recommend that farm workers should be entitled to being paid overtime after working 40 hours a week like the rest of the workforce, according to a report released Tuesday.
"We believe this decision protects the rights of farm laborers while taking into account the needs of farmers," said board Chair Brenda McDuffie, former president of the Buffalo Urban League on Tuesday afternoon.
The majority of the three-member wage board found the farm industry's economic concerns are important but unpersuasive given actions lawmakers took in April. The board cited hefty tax credits that were approved by the Legislature this past budget cycle and which are intended to cover overtime costs in full.
"They provide a means for New York's farms to go through the difficult transition to a lower overtime standard with less economic impact and will help to support a continued strong farm economy," the report reads.
But criticism to the board's decision with swift and fierce, with many lawmakers whose districts include the agricultural industry saying the decision will exacerbate supply chain issues and put a strain on farmers who are already suffering from high fuel costs and inflation.
The majority of the wage board agreed to submit its report to state Department of Labor Commissioner...
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