As a result of an ag group effort by all in agriculture, including the Association, the effort to reduce the trigger for overtime pay in agriculture was officially defeated on a vote of 38 to 35!  Assembly Bill 2757 (Gonzalez) would have enacted the Phase-In Overtime for Agricultural Workers Act of 2016, by phasing in a reduction in the trigger for overtime pay for “agricultural workers” as follows:

• July 1, 2019 – trigger would be 9 ½ hours per day or 55 hours per week
• January 1, 2020 – trigger would be 9 hours per day or 50 hours per week
• January 1, 2021 – trigger would be 8 ½ hours per day or 45 hours per week
• January 1, 2022 – trigger would be 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week 

The bill was defeated in large part thanks to the “NO” votes by several key urban legislators including Assemblymembers Ken Cooley, Jim Cooper and Bill Quirk, and by those that did not vote including Assemblymembers Jacqui Irwin, Richard Bloom and Adrin Nazarian.  Disappointingly, Assemblyman Rudy Salas of Bakersfield voted for the bill.  Thanks to all in agriculture who worked so hard to oppose this important legislation.