Wage Board Report Approved 2-1

The Farm Laborers Wage Board met today and voted 2-1 to approve a report and its recommendations to lower the farm labor overtime threshold to 40 hours by four-hour increments over the next decade, beginning in 2024. The Commissioner of Labor will have 45 days to review the report and either accept or refuse the recommendation. This timeframe will include a 15-day public comment period.

New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher voted to oppose the final report on the overtime threshold because it is not a full and accurate depiction of the data and testimony gathered during the two-year-long process. This includes a lack of significant economic data as well as detailed testimony from farmers, farmworkers, and agricultural experts.

New York State agriculture is a national leader in wage rates, human resource development, and safety training. Many of the farm labor protections in place exceed those of any private industry in the state. Yet much of this was also not included in the report. In the end, the report written by the Department of Labor justifies the wage board recommendations based on cherry-picked data and inflammatory opinions.

We are asking Commissioner Reardon to set the record straight and reject the report.

Click here to read President Fisher's full dissent.

NYFB stood with our partners in the Grow NY Farms Coalition throughout this process and held a joint press conference this evening following the wage board meeting.

• Click here to view the press conference.
• Click here to read the joint statement.