CA county fair employees win back ability to earn overtime
Employee clocks will once again register overtime at the Sonoma, Calif. country fair, following a civil but animated back-and-forth discussion between organizers and workers.
The removal of overtime pay for seasonal fair employees was based on saving money and keeping the fair in operation, according to The Press Democrat. After negative reaction from pro-labor groups as well as the fair's own supervisors, the organization's control board decided to include provisions for overtime pay in the 2014 season. About $28,000 will be budgeted for employees, most of them seasonal, whose time and attendance add up to more than 40 hours each week.
"It's important not to take advantage of the seasonal workers and not deny them overtime pay," fair supervisor Susan Gorin told The Press Democrat. "Working folks have worked too long to create overtime and all of the policies associated with that to just brush it aside because we don't have the money."
Although the fair is trying to right its ship, an increase in California's minimum wage to $10 over the next three years will mean more money budgeted for overtime. Tech industry entrepreneur Ron Unz is pushing for a further increase to $12 per hour by 2016, which could stretch the fair's budget even more.
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