Hood River County farmer & farm employee discuss ag overtime

The second part of our #FarmOfficeChat focuses on the ag overtime issue. Hood River County Farm Bureau President Devon Wells and Pepe Rivera, Wells & Sons orchard and warehouse manager, discuss the impacts a mandatory ag overtime law would have on local communities, small family farms, and farm employees.
Devon and Pepe also talk about how farmers are price takers not price makers and what that means, the misconception that farmers take advantage of their employees, what “piece-rate” pay is, how the ag overtime discussion in the legislature needs to include all parties involved, among other topics.
“Orchardists and farmers want to be involved in the conversation to make ag overtime equitable for all parties involved. We don’t want to see overtime just slammed down at 40 hours per week without any consideration of the impact that would have on the community, on the farms, and on the employees.”

[@roastnetwork886]

Is there another industry where a company produces a product but is told by someone other than their customers how much they can charge?? We need more farmers and farm workers involved in the process. Let the public and the people involved set the standards.