The word on the street is that very few farmers have signed up for the wage board hearings. Yes, it’s a tough time of year for farmers to do this. Yes, the notice was last minute. But you just can’t let these events go by without voicing the thoughts of farm owners, managers, and employees. Please sign up for one of the upcoming hearings.
As part of 2019 New York Farm Laborer Fair Labor Practices Act (FLFLPA), The NYS Commissioner of Labor is convening a Wage Board to hear stakeholder input about the weekly hours threshold at which farm laborer overtime pay begins. The threshold is currently set at 60 hours per week for 2020 but the Wage Board can make a recommendation to keep it the same or lower it to somewhere between 40 and 60 hours. It is important for farm owners, managers, and employees to make their voices heard about any potential changes. You need to register to be able to testify.
Virtual hearing dates:
Wednesday, August 26 at 6 p.m.
Thursday, August 27 at 12 noon
Monday, August 31 at 12 noon
Register (in English) at https://www.ny.gov/content/flflpa-wage-board-hearings-sign
Register (in Spanish) at https://www.ny.gov/content/ley-pr-cticas-laborales-justas-para-trabajadores-agr-colas-flflpa-2020
Your testimony will be limited to three minutes.
If you cannot attend a hearing but still want to be heard you can submit written testimony via email at this address: wageboard@labor.ny.gov
New York Farm Bureau has developed some resources to help you prepare your testimony https://nyfb.informz.net/NYFB/data/images/1-NYFB%20virtual%20wage%20board%20farmer%20guidance.pdf. If you invite your employees to participate, review these do’s and don’ts when discussing this with them.
