A coalition of 23 leading agricultural organizations has formally voiced its opposition to proposed Cal/OSHA regulations that would impose staggered work schedules and lower the air quality threshold for mandatory mask use—rules that would apply exclusively to agricultural workers.
Staggered Scheduling Model Under Fire
In a detailed letter to the Cal/OSHA Standards Board, the coalition criticized a proposed scheduling model that would limit workforce attendance to 20% on the first day of a wildfire smoke event, increasing to 80% over four days. According to the group, this model is not only impractical, but would also inflict serious financial strain on employers by requiring payment for non-working hours and forcing the hiring of additional labor.
“Employers would be forced to pay for labor they cannot fully use,” the coalition argued, “while scrambling to cover gaps in essential operations in a strained labor market.”
Mask Threshold Sparks Discrimination Concerns
The coalition also strongly objected to a proposed change that would lower the Air Quality Index (AQI) threshold for mandatory mask use from 500 to 300—but only for agricultural workers. The group called the move discriminatory, highlighting that no other sector would face such a requirement.
“This targeted regulation unfairly singles out farmworkers and creates confusion for field-level compliance,” the letter states.
Context: Assembly Bill 2243
These proposed changes originate from Assembly Bill 2243, passed in 2022, which directed Cal/OSHA to consider updates to wildfire smoke and heat illness regulations. However, the bill did not mandate specific rule changes, leaving those decisions up to the Standards Board.
Broad-Based Industry Opposition
The coalition comprises a diverse range of stakeholders, including commodity organizations, county farm bureaus, and labor advocates. Their unified stance underscores growing concern across the agricultural sector about the feasibility, fairness, and unintended consequences of the proposed regulations.
As the Standards Board reviews public input, the coalition urges regulators to reconsider rules that they argue would undermine operational continuity and burden one of California’s most essential industries.