New York Farm Laborers Wage Board votes to lower overtime threshold to 40-hours per-week

The New York Farm Laborers Wage Board has voted to lower the overtime threshold to 40-hours per-week.

The original was 60-hours. Officials say if this measure is approved by the state, it would be phased-in over a ten-year period starting in 2024.

The vote tally was 2-1 and board members cited impacts on human health and well-being, the issue of equitable labor practice and new tax credits as reasons to offer this threshold adjustment.

In a district that includes several farms and agriculture, North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) says the Governor’s wage board has failed to support family farms by making this decision.

“They are unmistakably out-of-touch with Upstate New York and the North Country,” she criticized.

Elise Stefanik image.

“Make no mistake, I will continue to challenge this wrongful decision and stand up for our farms because Upstate New York understands: No farms, no food.”

There have been numerous farmers who have been skeptical of overtime regulations, citing concerns that family run dairy farms would likely struggle even more to stay afloat with the overtime threshold.

The state now has a month and a half to review the recommendations and follow up with a decision.

Headline image courtesy via New York State Department of Agriculture.