Congresswoman Tenney’s Statement on the New York Farm Laborers Wage Board Recommendation to Lower the Overtime Threshold

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22) today released the following statement in response to the New York Farm Laborers Wage Board’s recommendation to lower the farm laborers' overtime threshold from 60 hours per week to 40 hours per week.

“Today’s New York Farm Laborers Wage Board recommendation to lower the farm laborers' overtime threshold from 60 hours per week to 40 hours per week is gravely misguided, ignoring input from important stakeholders and worsening the difficult headwinds for New York’s agriculture industry. The Board once again did not consider the overwhelming and passionate comments from farmers and consumers in formulating their policy priorities, deciding to undermine the very industry and workers they are supposed to serve. With costs from the price of diesel to fertilizer to labor already soaring, family farms across New York will now be burdened with an even higher labor cost.

“This change will be devastating for family farms throughout Upstate and may even force lifelong farmers out of the state. Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences projected that the rule’s implementation could force two-thirds of dairy farmers to make significant changes such as leaving the industry or investing in other states, and half of fruit and vegetable farmers to reduce their operations or leave the industry altogether.

“Today, I am again echoing my call for state Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon to reject this change and maintain the current 60-hour threshold. New York family farms and consumers cannot stand to bear any further price hikes.

“No farms, no food.”

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