Ag overtime bill vetoed in California  Hoard's Dairyman:   Ag
overtime bill vetoed in California  Mon, 08/16/2010  A bill that
would have set a national precedent by reducing the number of
hours California farm employees must work in order to qualify
for overtime pay has been vetoed by Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger.  Currently, California farm employees are
eligible for overtime if they work more than 10 hours in a day
or more than 60 hours in a week. However, the limits for other
hourly workers in the state are 8 and 40, respectively. Senate
Bill 1121 proposed setting those same thresholds for farm
employees.  Supported by attorney groups and union
organizations, likelihood of the measure’s passage seemed to
grow as it worked its way through the approval process. It was
passed 23-12 in the Senate and 47-28 in the Assembly.
Ultimately, however, common sense apparently won out, as
Schwarzenegger’s veto letter indicated:  “This measure, while
well-intended, will not improve the lives of California's
agricultur