TOPPENISH — State Supreme Court justices who are being asked to require farmers to pay farmworkers additional money for rest breaks focused on how practical such an arrangement would be during a public session in central Washington.
The Yakima Herald-Republic reported that dozens of spectators were at Heritage University Tuesday in Toppenish for the rare proceeding.
A class-action lawsuit was filed by two farmworkers against Sakuma Brothers Farms, a berry farm in Burlington. The farmworkers and Sakuma Brothers Farms finalized a settlement agreement resolving most of the claims in November.
The farmers did not admit any wrongdoing, but did agree to pay $850,000 to settle claims. But the workers and the farm could not come to an agreement over claims made by the workers that they should receive extra pay for the 10-minute break they can take every four hours.
The laborers were paid by units of work accomplished — bins filled or trees pruned — rather than by the hour, and argued their employer should pay them for their rest breaks over-and-above the agreed upon wage.
Sakuma said the set wages were enough to cover the break periods.
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