A coalition of farmers, including a Forestville grape farmer, is speaking out this month against a proposed change in the overtime threshold from 60 hours to 40 hours per week.

Farm owners and workers were joined by independent researchers from Cornell in opposing the change, during virtual Farm Laborers Wage Board hearings this month.

There was such a large turnout of people seeking to testify that the board scheduled another hearing for Friday at 2 p.m.

According to the Grow NY Farms Coalition, which opposes the overtime change, some 66% of speakers at the Jan. 4 hearing, 74% at the Jan. 18 hearing and 77% on Jan. 20, spoke against the proposal.

James Militello, a fifth-generation grape grower from Forestville, was among the farmers to criticize the proposed change at the hearings.

“My position on the overtime threshold is that it should remain at 60 hours per week,” he said. “I’m here to tell you, there will never be a right time to lower the threshold to 40 hours. If the state of New York lowers the threshold at all, it will decimate the New York state agricultural industry.”

He said the 60-hour threshold was fair to all because most times of the year, workers can complete tasks within that time.

“It is not feasible to continue to grow grapes in New York if the threshold is lowered to 40 hours, combined with scheduled minimum wage increases,” Militello said.

“I have no ability to raise the price of my commodity to the processor, so I do not have the ability to offset...

Read Full Story: https://www.observertoday.com/news/page-one/2022/01/survivability-threatened-...