WPC: Piece Rate Decision Leaves Farmers In Bad Position

Agriculture producers across Washington are scrambling, trying to determine what their future looks like after the state Supreme Court recently struck down the piece rate system.  Earlier this month, justices ruled workers must be paid for both productive work, such as picking fruit, and non-productive work, such as move ladders, boxes, etc.  The justices however did not give clear definitions of either or how to divide those for pay purposes.

Madi Clark with the Washington Policy Center said this is a huge hit to the state's Ag industry.  She noted most farmers were playing by the rules, and following the system, laid out by Washington Labor and Industries.

"They kind of left agriculture out to dry, and that's not just the farmers who are left out to dry, there are farm workers that like the piece rate system because they can work as much as they want, and earn as much as they want and go home, maybe that's in four-hours, six-hours, or eight to ten, but they had the opportunity to set their own goals, meet their own goals."

Clark said rules like this will encourage farmers to look at a future without farm workers.  She says this will encourage many to look at mechanization.

"They don't have a dependable supply of labor because we've had so many immigration challenges, and the H2-A program is slow, it's hard to work with and it's costly.  And then you look at our domestic supply, it can cost a lot and it can sue you, and it continues to do so with a lot of Ag labor activities, getting in there, and making that relationship really difficult when it use to be a really positive relationship."

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