Walsh: Farmers and Farmworkers Deserved Better from Department of Labor

Statement from Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (R,C-Ballston) on the Department of Labor’s decision on farmworker overtime

"I am incredibly disappointed that the outcries of hundreds of farmers and farmworkers fell on deaf ears when it came to their opposition to the proposal, and now finalized regulation, that lowers the overtime pay threshold from 60 hours per week to 40 hours per week. We all know the farming industry is unique in nature, quite literally, as it is seasonal and weather-dependent work that cannot be done solely between the hours of nine and five. The decision to adopt and enforce this regulation starting in 2024 defies common sense and will no doubt cripple local family farms statewide."