Farmworkers’ Fair Share

Labor Secretary Applauds New California Overtime Law

U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez is commending California Gov. Jerry Brown for signing into law Assembly Bill 1066. Perez said those who work on farms are some of California’s most vulnerable workers.

“We all depend on their work to feed and care for our families, but far too often they can’t afford to put food on their own dinner tables,” said Perez. “I commend the California legislature for their ongoing efforts to protect the most vulnerable workers in their state,” he adds.

The new law ensures critical overtime protections for farmworkers, giving them the same overtime protections that workers in other industries have enjoyed for decades.

Christopher Paige, CEO of California Human Development joined with Perez and fair labor advocates across the country in commending the Governor for ensuring strong, sensible safeguards for farmworkers and their families.

“In northern California, farmworkers and their families continue to represent a vast and severely impoverished population,” says Paige. “Issues such as affordable housing make conditions here especially difficult as the housing market tightens and grows more expensive. For many, this relief comes none too soon.”