Attorney General Meeting on Overtime

“I am writing to invite you to a meeting with State Representative Natalie Blais, The Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development’s office, and the Attorney General’s office to discuss the implications of the recent Chang Farm ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC). The meeting will occur on Friday, September 13th at 1pm at Nourse Farms in Whately. 

In March, the SJC ruled that workers involved in on-farm “preparation for market” activities are not exempt from overtime pay while doing tasks that are considered “preparation for market”. It had been the understanding for many years that market preparation was exempt from overtime requirements.

This ruling has had significant implications for many farms across the Commonwealth. The Attorney General’s office is responsible for enforcing these policies. At the request of State Representative Natalie Blais, staff has agreed to meet with local farmers to give an overview of overtime rules and regulations and will do their best to answer questions to help you to understand the application of the ruling.  The Attorney General’s office will do their best to answer questions and provide clarification on the grey areas that exist in regards to what constitutes “preparation for market” activities versus other farm tasks which are covered by the overtime exemption.

Please note that the purpose of this meeting is not to discuss or argue the merits or logic of the SJC ruling as the ruling is beyond the control of these offices. Rather, this meeting is intended to help you gain a clearer understanding of the implications of the ruling and how it will be enforced.

Please pass this invitation on to other farmers who might have an interest.

If you would like to attend please RSVP by September 9th, 2019 to lily.wallace@mahouse.gov

Any questions, please let me know.

Brad Mitchell

MA Farm Bureau

508.481.4766