A Common-Sense Fix for Farmworker Pay

SB 628 follows the model created by the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program. The CFC has issued over $3 billion in credits to around 700 projects since its inception in 2009.

SB 628 is slated at $150 million, well below the proposed $750 million proposal for Hollywood (2025/26 state budget proposal).

Since the passage of AB 1066 (2016), a UC Berkeley study found that agriculture employees are earning less take-home pay and working fewer hours for agriculture employers. These are some of the unintended consequences of the agriculture overtime requirement legislation.

This problem is not unique to California’s agricultural employees. To address the issue, Oregon and New York have already implemented overtime-related tax credits.

The Fresno Bee Editorial Board supports SB 628, saying, "California farmers should get a tax break for overtime paid to their workers.”

• “Under SB 628, the measure is meant to provide some relief to California growers who produce under the overtime rule, unlike farmers in other states who don’t face such a law.”

• “In a 2023 story, Fresno Bee reporter Melissa Montalvo pointed out that a Kerman farm worker complained the overtime law had dropped his take-home pay from $1,000 to about $600 when his hours were slashed from 60 hours a week to 40 hours per week.”

• “Grove’s bill looks to expand working hours for farm workers while giving growers a financial break they need. The Legislature would be wise to approve the measure, and Gov. Newsom should sign it.”

• “SB 628 is a common-sense solution that ensures farm workers have more opportunities to earn, while providing relief to our agricultural businesses who sustain the world’s food chain supply” - Shannon Grove (Bakersfield), SB 628 bill author.