Advocates Condemn Colorado Lawmakers’ Vote to Strip Farmworkers of Basic Workplace Protections

Denver, CO — Today, the Colorado House of Representatives voted 33-32 to strip vulnerable farmworkers of overtime rights. . The legislation, if signed into law, would increase the number of hours farmworkers must work before qualifying for overtime pay. This new law would require farmworkers to work 56 hours in a week before receiving overtime pay, while most other Colorado workers are entitled to overtime after 40 hours in a week or 12 hours in a day. The Agricultural Workers’ Rights Coalition and allied organizations across Colorado condemn this unequal treatment. 

“Farmworkers feed our state. They should not be forced to work longer hours for less pay,” the coalition said in a joint statement. “Today’s vote is a step backward for fairness, for dignity, and for the health and safety of workers who already face some of the most demanding conditions in any industry.”

“This bill tells farmworkers that they should expect to work more and receive less,” said Representative Tammy Story. “It entrenches inequality in our labor laws and sends a clear message about whose work is valued and whose is not. I am mortified by the support of my colleagues to roll back worker protections.”

“I am so disappointed that Democrats allowed Colorado to roll back workers’ rights for the first time in history and worse, specifically for the most vulnerable workforce who face extremely harsh working conditions, higher rates of wage theft, intimidation, retaliation, and threats of deportation,” said Representative Lorena Garcia. “Democrats should always be fighting to protect workers, we should never be fighting to exploit workers for industry profit.” 

“Overtime protections are not just about pay, they are about respecting workers’ time and protecting them from injury due to overwork,” said Hunter Knapp, a farmworker advocate at Project Protect Food Systems Workers. “Working in one of our state’s most dangerous and physically demanding industries, farmworkers have the greatest—not the least—need for meaningful overtime protections.”  

Advocates are urging the Colorado Senate to reject the bill and instead pursue policies that ensure farmworkers receive the same basic labor protections as other workers.