Agricultural workers: wages, hours, and working conditions: definitions.

Senator Hurtado's agricultural labor legislation carves out sheepherders and goat herders from California's standard agricultural worker overtime and wage requirements by modifying their classification under state labor law.

The bill amends the definition of "employed in an agricultural occupation" in the Labor Code to exclude sheepherders and goat herders, as defined by Industrial Welfare Commission Order No. 14-2001. This change removes these workers from provisions of the Phase-In Overtime for Agricultural Workers Act of 2016, which established graduated overtime pay requirements for agricultural employees working beyond specified daily and weekly hour thresholds. Under current law, agricultural workers receive double their regular pay rate for work exceeding 12 hours per day.

While the amendment maintains existing specialized labor protections for sheepherders and goat herders regarding wages, meal periods, rest breaks, and housing conditions, it separates their overtime compensation structure from the broader agricultural workforce. The Department of Industrial Relations oversees enforcement of these distinct sets of requirements for different categories of agricultural employees.