Oregon Farmworker Overtime Law and its Legislative Future

In 2022, the Oregon state legislature passed HB 4002 which mandates overtime pay for farmworkers.

The law is implemented in phases, and starting in 2023 employers are required to pay overtime to agricultural workers for any work over 55 hours in a week. In 2025 overtime pay will be required for work over 48 hours, and in 2027, overtime pay will be required for work over 40 hours.

In this policy brief, Oregon Farmworker Overtime Law and its Legislative Future, LERC Research Associate Mary Follo assesses the primary research cited by Oregon growers in opposition to the legislation. She finds a number of methodological problems with this research that cast doubt on their conclusions.