Washington governor signs agriculture worker overtime bill

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Agricultural workers in Washington state would become eligible for overtime pay under a bill signed Tuesday by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee.

Senate Bill 5172 creates a phased-in path toward full overtime pay for agricultural workers by 2024.

For 2022, they ensure overtime pay for any time worked over 55 hours a week; 48 hours a week in 2023; and 40 hours a week by 2024.

Washington joined a handful of states that grant overtime pay to agricultural workers. Inslee noted that the state has more than 30,000 farms that produce over 300 different commodities, many of them picked and processed by hand.

The state has about 200,000 agriculture workers.