SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As a 2016 California law requiring agricultural employers to pay overtime continues to roll out in 2023, farmworkers and employers say the policy is costing them money.
“Last year was one of the worst years that we ever had financially,” said Marco Mendoza, a farmworker based in the Fresno County city of Kerman in an interview with The Bee/Fresnoland on Tuesday.
Farmworkers say since the new law passed, they’re largely not being paid overtime, and their hours – and take-home pay – have been reduced as a result, making it harder to cover basic living expenses such as food and rent.
