Senator Gomez withdraws farmworker fairness amendment after extended floor plea; Ways & Means to continue talks
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Summary
Senator Adam Gomez introduced a comprehensive package to extend minimum-wage parity, overtime, paid breaks and PTO to agricultural workers but withdrew the amendment to allow further negotiation with Ways & Means and stakeholders.
Senator Adam Gomez on the Senate floor framed Amendment 41 as an attempt to remedy a longstanding exclusion of farmworkers from labor protections. He described the proposal as correcting "a deeply rooted wrong" that dates to federal New Deal-era exclusions and argued that the measure would modernize protections for agricultural laborers in Massachusetts.
Under the amendment's outline, the $8 agricultural subminimum wage would be replaced by the statewide minimum wage; overtime pay would begin after 55 hours for most agricultural workers (and after 40 hours for year-round indoor controlled-environment operations engaged primarily in secondary agriculture); employers would be required to provide two paid 15-minute breaks for each eight-hour shift; and workers could earn up to 55 hours of paid time off per year at a rate of 1 hour per 40 worked. Gomez said these changes would protect predominantly immigrant laborers and strengthen the resilience of the food system.
Multiple senators expressed respect for the sponsor's goals and described ongoing stakeholder engagement involving advocates, the Farm Bureau, growers and Ways & Means. Senator Gomez said the amendment would be withdrawn so the conversations could continue and to allow Ways & Means to work toward a compromise that could be taken up this session.
The Senate did not vote on Amendment 41. Sponsors emphasized that withdrawing the amendment was not the end of the work; rather, it was a procedural step to permit further negotiation with Senate Ways & Means and external stakeholders.
Supporters on the floor described examples from their districts — including apple orchard workers and housing and water-safety concerns — to underscore the practical stakes of wage and break protections. Sponsors and supporters asked that the forthcoming discussions be inclusive of farmworkers, growers and advocacy groups.
The transcript records the floor withdrawal and a verbal commitment from Ways & Means to continue the work in the days and weeks ahead; no implementation details or legislative language changes were agreed on the floor.
