Will Farmworkers Get Overtime? (credit, income, live)

[californio sur]

It is hard to believe but farmworkers in California do not receive overtime pay after 8 hours of work unless their individual employers provided it. The state legislature changed that with a new law requiring all agricultural companies to pay overtime wages. Can you believe that people who work out in the heat picking vegetables, fruit and nuts have not had the same salary benefits other Californians have? Now governor Schwarzenegger must sign the bill and there is a chance he may not.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by californio sur

It is hard to believe but farmworkers in California do not receive overtime pay after 8 hours of work unless their individual employers provided it. The state legislature changed that with a new law requiring all agricultural companies to pay overtime wages. Can you believe that people who work out in the heat picking vegetables, fruit and nuts have not had the same salary benefits other Californians have? Now governor Schwarzenegger must sign the bill and there is a chance he may not.

Yes! I believe it. Sorry, but if the working conditions don't meet their needs, wants and desires, do something else or better yet, stay home.

It's hard to believe but soldiers putting their lives on the line, sometimes 24/7, don't get paid overtime and when I enlisted as a Private E-nothing we made $87.90 a month whether we needed it or not. There was a little shooting war going on called Vietnam and most of us were sent there we were earning $96.90-100.00 a month. As a junior officer (2nd and 1st LT) I made $303.90-420.30 a month.

Sorry, SUR. I know they work hard under sometimes lousy conditions but my sympathies stop just short of my wallet. I also know many farmers/ranchers who pay much better. It's kinda like the choice between flipping burgers and getting an education and real career.

[californio sur]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Yes! I believe it. Sorry, but if the working conditions don't meet their needs, wants and desires, do something else or better yet, stay home.

It's hard to believe but soldiers putting their lives on the line, sometimes 24/7, don't get paid overtime and when I enlisted as a Private E-nothing we made $87.90 a month whether we needed it or not. There was a little shooting war going on called Vietnam and most of us were sent there we were earning $96.90-100.00 a month. As a junior officer (2nd and 1st LT) I made $303.90-420.30 a month.

Sorry, SUR. I know they work hard under sometimes lousy conditions but my sympathies stop just short of my wallet. I also know many farmers/ranchers who pay much better. It's kinda like the choice between flipping burgers and getting an education and real career.

So a person flipping hamburgers gets overtime pay after 8 hours of work but not a farmworker? So how is that even justified? Sounds very biased with strong racist overtones to me.

[Fontucky]

Stop looking for racism in everything you read you young dufus.

[californio sur]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

Stop looking for racism in everything you read you young dufus.

What group overwhelmingly does the majority of the farm work? Mexican-Americans. These workers could not even form unions until the state finally allowed it. To his credit, Schwarzenegger signed laws that required agriculture to provide shade stations after dozens of deaths during a particularly bad heat wave a few years ago. It is easy for Californians to overlook the working conditions of the poor people who work very hard in the fields especially when they are Latinos. That's why I raise the possibly of racism and it think it is justified.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

Stop looking for racism in everything you read you young dufus.

Right on and thank you, ya old Jarhead! Exactly! Tried ta rep ya but need to spread it around, I guess.

Methinks our young poster uses the race card as an excuse.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by californio sur

So a person flipping hamburgers gets overtime pay after 8 hours of work but not a farmworker? So how is that even justified? Sounds very biased with strong racist overtones to me.

You most convienently missed or ignored the word, "choice."

[FresnoFacts]

California is the only state that even required any overtime pay for field workers. All other states do not have that requirement at all.

It was interesting that the UFW did not lobby to get this passed, they feel overtime pay should be part of contract negotiations.

Also, farming is like any business and will do things to manage costs and compete with other states that do not require overtime. Other businesses use many part-time workers (instead of full-time) to avoid the costs of benefits, overtime, etc.

I will not be surprised if some farms shift to more part-time field workers to avoid higher overtime pay.

We may start hearing about individual field workers making less total income because they no longer were full-time.

The law of unintended consequences may come into play again.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

You most convienently missed or ignored the word, "choice."

And he also conveniently ignored the fact that the hamburger flippers in this state are overwhelmingly of the same race as the farm workers. They both can't pronounce the "j" in yob... I mean job.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

And he also conveniently ignored the fact that the hamburger flippers in this state are overwhelmingly of the same race as the farm workers. They both can't pronounce the "j" in yob... I mean job.