WAFLA Review of 2016

WAFLA Review of 2016

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. 2016 was an eventful year at WAFLA ... some good, some not so good.

WAFLA Executive Director Dan Fazio says things were pretty active on the labor and employment front with a government mandated minimum wage hike ... brought about by the voter-approved I-1433...

DAN FAZIO ... "In Washington, where we're located, we see a 16 % rise statewide by virtue of an initiative and that's on January 1st 2017 to $11 per hour statewide in 2017. And then it ratchets up to $13.50 an hour by 2020, and of course that's a 42% increase over a four year period, wow!"

Fazio says it's too much, too fast and farm labor was considered by too few of the voters when they cast their ballots ...

DAN FAZIO ... "You know, the sad truth about these minimum wage or living wage initiatives is that there are winners and there are losers in this game and most economists who study the issue have concluded that increases wages, government mandated wages, increases poverty. There's less hiring, people lose their jobs, and the people that are left are asked to work harder and longer. So, government just needs to stay out of mandating wages."

Washington agriculture already ranks tenth nationally in total labor costs as a portion of sales, at 20 percent. In terms of total dollars spent on agricultural labor Washington ranks third, after California and Texas.

Previous ReportCold Weather and Wine Grapes
Next ReportWAFLA Review of 2016 Pt 2