Congress extends overtime pay to farm workers after 88-year exclusion
H.R. 10273 — Fairness for Farm Workers Act · Filed by Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) · 9 cosponsors · Introduced Sep 3, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill extends federal overtime protections to agricultural workers by requiring employers to pay time-and-a-half for hours worked beyond a phased threshold (55 hours in 2027, declining to 40 hours by 2030), with a 3-year delay for small farms (≤25 employees). It also eliminates several exemptions that currently allow agricultural employers to avoid minimum wage and overtime rules, narrowing the family-farm carve-out to actual family members only.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is straightforward: it extends existing federal overtime and minimum-wage rules to a class of workers (agricultural employees) previously exempted, and phases in compliance over 3–6 years. This is a protective labor statute, not a deregulation or carve-out.
What the text implies
- The 500 man-days threshold in conforming amendments may create a new class of micro-employers still exempt from overtime, potentially incentivizing labor fragmentation.
- Phased implementation (2027–2030 for large farms, 2030–2033 for small farms) creates a 6-year transition; compliance costs and labor-market adjustments will be gradual but cumulative.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
agricultural workers (wage and overtime compensation); labor-advocacy organizations (enforcement support)