When Shelley Stein heard about Senate Bill 9509 to eliminate the Farm Laborers Wage Board, she had to jump on it immediately, she says. The 2019 Farm Workers Fair Labor Practices Act contained a provision to create a Wage Board to evaluate lowering the overtime threshold for farm laborers below 60 hours a week. In January 2022, the Wage Board recommended lowering the threshold
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(AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Legislation has been introduced to double the state’s Farm Workforce Retention Credit from $600 to $1,200 next year with a total price tag to state taxpayers of $50 million a year.
A.3886 was introduced by Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, D-Binghamton, with several co-sponsors. The credit would increase from $600 in 2020 to $800 in 2021 before increasing to $1,200 in 2022. The legislation also makes the tax credit permanent. Companion legislation, S.3502, has been sponsored by Sen. Michelle Hinchey, D-Kingston.
Farms across New York are contending with a 23.5% in total production costs since 2007 due to increased labor costs. According to 2017 USDA ERS data, farm labor expense in New York was about 13.2% of the value of agricultural receipts, compared to the national average of 9.5%. A recent Farm Credit East report estimates that labor costs will increase by $299 million.