California Becomes First State to Pay Farmers Overtime

The US state of California will start to pay overtime to farmers for the first time in the history of the United States, Governor Jerry Brown stated in a press release.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — In August 2016, a new legislation sponsored by the association United Farm Workers was cleared by the Senate by 21-14 vote.

The bill introduced decrease of the 10-hour-day threshold for overtime by 30 minutes each year starting in 2019.

"Governor Brown today announced that he has signed the… bill AB 1066 by Assembly member Lorena Gonzalez — Agricultural workers: wages, hours, and working conditions," the release stated on Monday.

California lawmakers explained earlier in August that the phase-in would be by annual half-hour-per-day increments until reaching eight hours, and annual five-hour-per-week increments until reaching 40 hours.

Both final standards would be achieved in 2022, with small farms employing 25 or fewer people receiving an additional three years to comply.

According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the state’s farms and ranches received approximately $47 billion for their output in 2015. This number showed a decrease of nearly 17 percent compared to 2014, but California remains the leading US state in cash farm receipts.