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Ten years from now, New York farm workers might get overtime pay like other employees

Sep 07, 2022 1:34 pm

Briana Supardi reports for CNY Central that the New York Farm Wage Board voted Sept. 6 to recommend lowering overtime threshold for farm workers. But it will be ten years before farm workers get overtime after 40 hours of work, like grocery store employees or record store clerks. Currently, farm workers do not receive overtime pay until they work 60 hours in a week. "Every industry has to pay overtime pay after 40 hours,” said Lisa Zucker, Senior Attorney of Legislative Affairs with New York Civil Liberties Union. "We have doctors talk about the stress injuries they see everyday because farm workers working their bodies 60 hours a week, a week, a week, a week on end,” said Zucker. “And if you’re going to do that, you’re really essentially shortening your career risking injury, you need to be compensated for that just like with every other industry.” Raymond Dykeman, who co-owns Dykeman & Sons dairy farm, says he will downsize his farm if forced to pay employees just like other employers. “Pricing on the farm — we get whatever we’re paid, we can demand higher pricing,” Dykeman said. New York lawmakers are giving farmers a 118-percent tax credit for every dollar they spend on overtime pay. New York's Department of Labor has 45 days to accept, reject, or modify the board’s recommendation.

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