Bill > H1979

This bill aims to establish fairness for agricultural laborers in Massachusetts. It introduces several key provisions: 1. It requires that every person employed in seasonal agricultural and farm work (excluding the employer's immediate family members) be allowed at least 24 consecutive hours of rest per calendar week, with an exception that allows employees to voluntarily work on their day of rest at a rate of at least one and a half times their regular pay. 2. It limits the work week for employers of seasonal agricultural and farm workers to 55 hours, unless employees receive overtime pay of at least one and a half times their regular rate for any hours worked in excess of 55. 3. It removes the agricultural and farm work exemption from the definition of "occupation" under the state's wage and hour laws, effectively extending minimum wage and overtime protections to these workers. 4. It defines "seasonal" agricultural and farm work as labor performed during a period of an agricultural business's operation of growing and harvesting that lasts no more than 235 continuous days (including June, July, and August) or no more than 100 continuous days beginning between August 1 and September 1.

Labor and Employment

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H1979