On Tuesday, April 18th at 1 pm, the Labor and Housing Committee will hold hearings on two bills that will significantly change agricultural labor in Maine.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
We need YOU to tell YOUR story!
Legislators want to hear YOUR story and what impact these changes will have on your farm.
In your testimony, please share:
- What impact does your farm have on your community? Are you creating jobs, paying taxes, purchasing gas, tools, and machinery locally?
- How many workers do you employ?
- Do you have a positive relationship with your workers?
- How much you are spending every year on labor?
- Do you pay your workers more than you pay yourself?
- How much would your labor costs increase if you had to pay overtime?
- Do you offer non-monetary compensation like housing, transportation, or other benefits?
- How would the increased cost of labor impact your farm operations?
Join us at the Cross Building, Room 202, at 1:00 pm on
TUESDAY, APRIL 18TH!
- This bill would require all farms to pay overtime to all agriculture workers
- Any hours worked over 40 would be paid at 1.5 times the regular hourly rate
- Mandatory overtime would apply to year-round employees and seasonal farm employees
- This bill was created based on the belief that the relationship between agricultural employers and their employees needs improvement.
- Assumes that ONLY labor organizations can bargain for terms and conditions of employment.
- Assumes that ONLY voluntary agreements between agricultural employers, employees, and their organizations, limit industrial strife, promote stability in the farm labor force, and improve the economic status of workers and businesses. It fails to acknowledge the existing successful relationships on Maine farms.
- Farmers will have to pay arbitration costs when there is a disagreement.
- Workers can strike during planting, harvest, or other critical production times.
- Has the potential to cost farms thousands of dollars in legal fees.
TELL THE COMMITTEE HOW THESE CHANGES WILL IMPACT YOUR FARM!
If you can’t be there in person, you can testify online. Go to:
https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/
Select:
- Public Hearing
- Labor and Housing
- Apr 18 2023 1:00 PM
- LD 398 – An Act to Make Agricultural Workers and Other Related Workers Employees Under the Wage and Hour LawsLD 525 – An Act to Protect Farm Workers by Allowing Them to Organize for the Purposes of Collective Bargaining
- Click on the box I would like to testify electronically over Zoom.
- Upload your testimony if you want to submit something in writing. You don’t have to testify; you can submit only written comments.
- Enter your personal information and submit!
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