Just a few months after Washington state began paying farmworkers time and a half, Oregon now has its own ag overtime bill.
The Washington Policy Center explains why Oregon’s bill is better.
“The first is, farmers, for this first five years, in Oregon will have a tax break. So, they’ll essentially get most of the overtime that they are paying out to their employees back in the form of what is effectively a tax rebate... During this first phase-in period, they’ll have to do a study to see how it is affecting both the employer and the employees, and then, every six years thereafter, they will have to do the same,” Pam Lewison explains.
Pam Lewison says that the tax break and the economic impact study are things Washington state lawmakers did not even consider.
Related:
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