Farmworkers and Farmers at Odds Over Oregon's Overtime Law
Some farmworkers claim they are making less money, not more, due to Oregon's overtime law, while farmers argue they cannot afford to pay the overtime.
Maria de Lourdes Navarro and her adult son, David Montiel, work in the grape harvest season in the Willamette Valley. Their typical day starts at 5 a.m. and involves physically demanding labor, hauling heavy buckets of grapes and working until early afternoon.
“When we get back [home], we wash our dirty gloves. And work clothes need to be set aside. We don’t have a washing machine here. So we have to go do laundry elsewhere,”
Navarro said, describing their daily routine. She usually cooks and goes to bed by 8 p.m., ready for the next day's work.
Farmers and growers argue that they cannot afford to pay the overtime, while farmworkers like Navarro and her son struggle to make ends meet.
Author's summary: Farmworkers and farmers disagree on Oregon's overtime law.