BY JIMMY LAWTON 

North Country This Week

St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators oppose New York State’s plan to reduce the overtime threshold for farm workers from 60 to 40 hours, which they say would devastate one of the area's largest industries.

Championing the measure was Legislator Kevin Acres, R-Madrid, who said the law would be another blow to the state’s ag industry.

“I wholeheartedly support this resolution,” he said. “Farmers have been under a lot of stress.”

Acres said that farming is unlike many other jobs.

“It’s the old adage. When the sun shines you gotta make hay,” he said.

Acres said that in the North Country growing corn or grain needs to be done within a set time window in order to produce the best quality yields, which in turn translates to better milk production.

But that means longer days when the weather is good.

Acres said even California uses a 60-hour threshold for overtime and migrant workers are unlikely to come to New York if they can’t work longer hours.

“They are here to work,” he said. “They aren’t going to come to New York and pick peaches for 40 hours a week,” he said, noting that they would likely make more money in surrounding states with more relaxed overtime regulations.

According to the resolution a study from Cornell University expected the effects of lowering the overtime threshold to 40 hours found that two thirds of dairy farms in the interview said that a 40-hour threshold would cause them to move out of milk production or leave agriculture entirely and half of the fruit and vegetable farms interviewed said the change would cause them to shrink operations or leave the industry.

The study also found that 70 percent of guest workers said they would consider going to another state if hours were further capped in New York.

The resolution also cites a study from Farm Credit East that showed lowering the overtime threshold to 40 hours, coupled with minimum wage increases, would result in a 42% increase in labor costs for New York farms.

Not everyone supported the measure.

The resolution passed 14-2 with Legislator Joe Lightfoot, R-Oswegatchie, and Nichole Terminelli voting no. Technically Terminelli did not vote at all, however City Attorney Stephen Button clarified that not voting counts as no vote.

Although she initially voted in favor legislators Margaret Haggard, D-Potsdam, later said she’d like to recant her vote, but since that is not allowed by state law, she asked it be reflected in the record instead.