It was nice to be away from Albany last week, because it freed me up to meet with members of the community and reacquaint myself with the needs of my constituents. I spent time with members of law enforcement, religious groups and library advocates, just to name a few, and I was glad to discuss with them my work in Albany and what I could do to better serve them.

It’s a shame that while that was going on, the New York State Department of Labor announced it would be adopting a new overtime threshold for farm workers at a rate of four hours less every year until 2032. This measure was met with swift resistance by New York farmers when initially proposed years ago, and I was one of those many voices imploring Commissioner Roberta Reardon to reconsider.

The biggest issue many of our state’s farmers had was how restrictive the new overtime threshold would be for employers. Farm labor is unique in that it is untraditional work. Seasons change working conditions, weather can mean the difference between a long day and a short one and the quality of the land can impact working ability even further. The variables are not consistent enough to measure a farm laborer’s quality of work life in the same way that one would measure a white-collar job.

Another big concern was the consideration that much of the headway for this argument was pushed by city lawmakers who don’t understand the realities of rural life and rural labor. It’s one thing for advocates to say they’re voicing the concerns of the workers, but it’s another to act in a position of authority where you have none. No experience, no understanding of the intricacies of the job, leads to sloppy legislation like this, where, despite hearing panel after panel of concerned family farmers, you ignore their pleas anyway.

It’s another example of how the Majority lawmakers that oversee these departments and oftentimes helps to put people in positions of power there are out of touch with the people on the ground. This conversation is not over, and I will continue to advocate for our family farmers who have done so much for all New Yorkers.