Back Pay Lawsuits Dairy Pt 3
I’m Bob Larson. A pair of bills is targeting two dozen lawsuits against Washington dairies calling for tens of millions in retroactive overtime pay for the last three years. This, after a state Supreme Court’s November ruling removed agriculture’s 60-year exemption from paying overtime.
Dairy Farmer Rich Appel says even people outside of ag understand the retro pay is just plain wrong …
APPEL … “It’s wrong-headed to punish people that were obeying the law. I think it’s similar to the speed limit, if they change the speed limit and say, well now we’re going to ticket you for the last three years that you’ve been driving through this zone at 50mph, as we’ve decided it’s 35mph.”
This type of ruling, Appel says is just the latest aimed at agriculture …
APPEL … “And, I think that overall, in Washington state, farmers are feeling pretty disappointed and depressed over a number of actions that have been coming down the pike toward Ag.”
The sad part, Appel says is that Washington state is allowing this …
APPEL … “It’s creating an uncompetitive landscape for us to compete against other states that don’t have to deal with all the issues that we are dealing with, whether it comes from the environmental side, or the labor side, or animal welfare, animal rights, it seems like it’s just never ending.”
Appel says it’s important that people support Senate bill 5172 and House bill 1217.
