Farmers dodge a bullet, so far
The Assembly today failed to take up a bill that would mandate overtime pay for farm workers – a proposal bitterly opposed by farmers who say it would add $200 million in costs to the struggling industry. The bill was on a list of bills the Assembly had planned to take up.
Assembly Agriculture Committee Chairman William Magee, D-Nelson, Madison County, who is leading the opposition, said bill sponsor Cathy Nolan, D-Queens, has agreed to discuss the bill with him before it is brought to the Assembly floor.
“I think that’s a good sign,’’ Magee said.
Advocates say there is no reason to treat farm workers different from other laborers, and that they deserve extra pay for long hours, at least one day off a week and other protections. Magee and other opponents say the uniquely seasonal nature of the business makes such rules impractical.
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