Community leaders and farmworkers are calling on governor Polis’ administration to provide equal overtime protections. Yesterday, leaders from Colorado's Latino and immigrant communities gathered at the state capitol to call for equal overtime protections for farmworkers.
Colorado agriculture workers had been excluded from overtime protections until the passage of Senate Bill 87 earlier this year. While the bill passed during the 2021 legislative session, the rule-making process from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) is still underway. The agency published proposed overtime rules last week.
Under the proposed rules, overtime protections for agricultural workers would begin in November 2022. From November 1, 2022 through the end of December 2023, overtime pay would be required at 60 hours per week.
From 2024 to 2025, overtime pay would be required after 56 hours from small employers and highly seasonal employers who have 22 peak weeks. All other employers would be required to pay overtime after 48 hours.
"We’re asking for the Polis administration to ensure that workers, agricultural workers, are treated like all the other workers in our state, and that includes overtime after 40 hours," Pamela Resendiz Trujano, the Executive Director of Colorado Jobs with Justice, told 9news.com.
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