Statement of US Labor Secretary Perez on signing of historic legislation granting expanded overtime to California farmworkers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today issued the following statement in response to California Gov. Jerry Brown signing Senate Bill 1015 and Assembly Bill 1066.

“People who work on farms and in our homes are some of America’s most vulnerable workers. We all depend on their work to feed and care for our families, but far too often they can’t afford to put food on their own dinner tables. Today, Gov. Jerry Brown signed two new laws to ensure critical overtime protections for these workers. With these laws, California farmworkers will have the same overtime protections that workers in other industries have enjoyed for decades, and overtime protections for domestic workers implemented in 2013 will continue. I commend Gov. Brown for ensuring strong, sensible safeguards for farmworkers and their families, and I commend the California legislature for their ongoing efforts to protect the most vulnerable workers in their state.”