Agricultural workers in WA will now get overtime pay when they work overtime hours

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Tens of thousands of agricultural workers across the state now get overtime pay when they work overtime hours. That’s because of a groundbreaking state law won by farmworkers during the 2021 legislative session, which reversed the longstanding racist exclusion of farmworkers from this basic labor protection.

In 2022, all WA agricultural workers have the right to receive 1.5x pay for each hour worked after 55 hours in a week. Over the next three years, the number of hours before overtime kicks in will decrease until eventually reaching 40 hours/week.

  • 2022: overtime pay after 55 hours/week.
  • 2023: overtime pay after 48 hours/week.
  • 2024: overtime pay after 40 hours/week.

Note: due to a WA Supreme Court decision in 2020, dairy workers get overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours in a week.

Is your boss paying you overtime? What are you seeing?