Colorado's new overtime pay rules for agricultural workers are too weak, advocates say

A new overtime pay rule for Colorado agricultural workers doesn’t go far enough, according to a coalition of groups that helped pass this year’s sweeping expansion of labor rights for people who work on the state’s farms and ranches.

The final rule should have given farm workers the same overtime benefits as workers in other industries, said Hunter Knapp, development director for the advocacy group Project Protect Food Systems Workers. Instead, the regulations, issued by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, reflect “the perspectives of the agricultural industry rather than the perspective of workers shared throughout the rulemaking process,” he said.

Starting in January 2022, Colorado farms, ranches and other agricultural businesses must pay their workers at least minimum wage, which in Colorado will be $12.56 an hour. Currently, agricultural businesses are only required to pay federal minimum wage, $7.25 an hour. Businesses must begin paying overtime starting in November, with the regulation fully phased-in by 2025.

CDLE adopted the new regulations last week as part of the implementation of Senate Bill 87, which also grants farm workers the right to unionize along with new protections for working in heat and other dangerous conditions.

Read more: https://coloradosun.com/2021/11/15/colorado-farmworker-rights-overtime-rules/