The Washington State Supreme Court ruled the state’s dairy workers are entitled to overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours per week.
In a 5-4 ruling, the court stated the state constitution grants overtime to workers “in dangerous industries a fundamental right to health and safety protections, including overtime, which is intended to discourage employers from forcing employees to work excessive hours,” according to the Associated Press.
Charlotte Garden, a Seattle University Law School professor, stated while the ruling only applies to dairy workers, it could also cover the rest of the state’s agriculture workers, as well as be a model to other states.
Dan Wood, executive director of the Washington State Dairy Federation, noted that some farms already pay $18-20 an hour for all hours worked—paying overtime would boost that to about $27-30 an hour
