Ag overtime bill has a hearing
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, March 31st, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SALEM – House Bill 2358, which requires farm workers to be paid overtime for working more than 40 hours a week, had a public hearing recently. The measure is sponsored by lawmakers from Lake Oswego, Portland, Eugene, Gresham and Tigard.
At the hearing, University of Oregon economist Mark Brenner said that it would only cause products to go up by a few pennies at the retail level.
“Labor costs are a small share of agriculture employers’ overall costs,” he said.
He added that the law could mean a 16 percent increase in wages for farm workers. In an earlier interview, Rep. Bobby Levy, a farmer from Echo, had said it could force farmers to hire more part time workers instead of relying on long-term full time employees.
Leslie Tamara, a pear grower from Hood River, said they would have to limit hours and reduce expenses when overtime is required. The bill remains at the committee level.
