Overtime is overdue for farmworkers

Farmworkers toil in rough conditions and harsh weather. The hard work comes with another limitation: These workers are the only labor group in California not entitled to overtime after eight hours.

A bill headed to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk could end this inequity. Right now, farmworkers win overtime pay after a 10-hour shift and a 60-hour week. This restriction is justified by employers because of swings in weather and the need to haul in perishable crops quickly.

But it's also a basic unfairness for the dirty and often dangerous task of handling vegetables and fruit surrounded by machinery and chemicals. The measure, SB1121, was authored by Sen. Dean Florez, a Democrat from the Central Valley town of Shafter who has pushed other farm safety measures, such as controls on drifting pesticides and work breaks in hot weather. Florez, who is termed out of office after 10 years in the Legislature, wants this bill enacted as his final achievement.

The measure, which previously passed the Senate, was approved by the Assembly, 47 to 26, with Republicans opposed. Their argument centers on possible cost increases for farmers and loss of competitive edge with other agricultural states.

But the issue is bigger than that: a fair wage for a hard job. Office workers, construction crews and store clerks have long had the eight-hour rule. It's time to widen the law to include the people who plant and pick the state's food.

Sign the bill, governor.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/06/EDSA1E912B.DTL