WAYNE COUNTY, N.Y (WROC) — Anybody working on a farm will no longer have to work more than 60 hours a week to qualify for overtime pay starting in 2024. The Department of Labor Commissioner announced they’ll be eligible after 40 hours on the clock by 2034.
Farmers have concerns, but so do some workers we spoke to. Many who are immigrants and seasonal workers send most of their paychecks back home to family. So, if hours are reduced because farms can’t afford excessive overtime to complete a harvest, they lose money.
For 22 years, Victor Hernandez has worked on the Maple Ridge Fruit Farm in Wayne County after immigrating from Mexico. He worries this new law could soon cap his hours at 40 a week, making him lose the money he sends back to his parents while putting his kids through college.
“To stay at 60 hours would be good because I can get more money to get a more better life for my family,” Hernandez told us. “But this coming down to 40 hours I’ll lose 20 hours a week which is a lot of money for myself. I’d be doing better to stay at 60 hours than coming down to 40.”
To make up for those finances, Victor feels he may have to work a second job, which is likely to pay him less than he does farming another 20 hours a week.
“If I’m working 40 hours here, I’ll need to go work another job for another 10-20 hours,” Hernandez continued. “Because I won’t get overtime at this job, I’ll need to make more money for my family, and bills, because everything is expensive.”
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