No OT Conversations In Olympia Very Frustrating

Sometimes, it’s what’s not said that tells the true story.

During the 2026 Legislative session in Olympia, Washington lawmakers discussed several topics impacting the farming community.  But one issue that was not brought up, Ag overtime.

State Representative Joe Schmick said the fact that lawmakers did not look at reworking the issue to help the farming community was very frustrating.  The Colfax Republican noted leading up to the start of the session in January, there were promises made by state senators that the issue of Ag overtime would be addressed.

“And it just seemed like once they hit Olympia, all those promises and the work that we'd done prior was just left out and we never heard another word about it," Schmick said.  "It is something that we continually, we try to work on, but we're just not getting any traction for any flexibility on that rule.”

And while disappointed that the lingering problem for the farming community was not addressed, Schmick says the session wasn’t a compete loss when it comes to Ag labor.

“I am very glad to see that the unionization of the Ag workers fell short and did not move because I think that would just be a death knell to agriculture," Schmick said.  "And I don't know how people would get their workers that they need to just operate.”

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsquaremedia.com