New York Postpones Hearing on Farm-Worker Overtime Wage

A hearing to consider reducing the New York overtime threshold for farm workers was postponed, the state labor department said April 14.

The hearing, which was to be held April 16 in Farmingville, N.Y., was to allow a wage board to hear testimony about possibly reducing the overtime threshold for farm laborers to less than the 60 hours a week, the department said on its website.

A new date is to be announced after the hearing is rescheduled, the department said.

Farm laborers must be paid an overtime premium for hours that exceeds 60 a week and for work on designated rest days under the Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act, which took effect Jan. 1, 2020. The law also grants farm laborers disability, paid family-leave coverage, and unemployment benefits.

Previous hearings occurred in Albany on Feb. 28; Syracuse, March 13; and Binghamton, March 23.

A fifth hearing remains scheduled for April 23 in Batavia, the labor department website said.

A New York labor board is to consider testimony before its submits its recommendations by Dec. 31 to New York State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon, who announced the hearings Feb. 24. She then has 45 days to take administrative action on the board’s recommendations.