California Gov. Jerry Brown Signs Farmworker Overtime Changes Into Law

SACRAMENTO (CBS13/AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill extending the same overtime rules to farmworkers as most other workers in the state have.

Assembly Bill 1066 reshapes the pay structure for farm laborers. The bill creates an overtime pay structure for farmworkers similar to employees in other industries, which is overtime pay after 8 hours of work instead of 10.

A similar version of the bill was defeated by two votes in June. This time, the bill passed 44-37 and includes a phasing in of the payment for smaller farms over several years.

Brown signed the bill following a push by the United Farm Workers union and its allies, who say exempting farmworkers from labor laws is racist and unfair.

The new law will be phased in beginning in 2019.