The state Farm Laborers Wage Board will meet next week to issue its final recommendations for lowering the overtime threshold from 60 to 40 hours a week.
The virtual meeting will be held at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6. The link to the webcast will be available on the wage board's website, dol.ny.gov/farm-laborers-wage-board.
At the meeting, the three-member wage board — David Fisher, president of the New York Farm Bureau; Denis Hughes, former president of the New York State AFL-CIO; and Brenda McDuffie, former president and CEO of the Buffalo Urban League — will deliver its report to state Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon, who will have 45 days to review the recommendations and make a decision.
By a 2-1 vote in January, the wage board endorsed lowering the overtime threshold for farmworkers through a phased-in approach. The threshold would be lowered to 56 hours beginning in 2024, 52 in 2026, 48 in 2028, 44 in 2030 and 40 in 2032.
Hughes and McDuffie voted for the plan, while Fisher opposed it.
The wage board was established under the Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act. The legislation, which was signed into law by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, set the overtime threshold at 60 hours and tasked the wage board with determining whether it should be lowered.
The board held several hearings over the last few years to collect testimony from supporters and opponents of lowering the overtime threshold. Many farmers spoke out against a lower overtime standard, with some saying...
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