50.04.150 - Employment -- Agricultural labor. - Washington Statutes

Employment — Agricultural labor.

Except as otherwise provided in RCW 50.04.155, the term "employment" shall not include service performed in agricultural labor by individuals who are enrolled as students and regularly attending classes, or are between two successive academic years or terms, at an elementary school, a secondary school, or an institution of higher education as defined in RCW 50.44.037 and in the case of corporate farms not covered under RCW 50.04.155, the provisions regarding family employment in RCW 50.04.180 shall apply.

     Agricultural labor is defined as services performed:

     (1) On a farm, in the employ of any person, in connection with the cultivation of the soil, or in connection with raising or harvesting any agricultural or horticultural commodity, including raising, shearing, feeding, caring for, training, and management of livestock, bees, poultry, and furbearing animals and wild life, or in the employ of the owner or tenant or other operator of a farm in connection with the operation, management, conservation, improvement, or maintenance of such farm and its tools and equipment; or

     (2) In packing, packaging, grading, storing, or delivering to storage, or to market or to a carrier for transportation to market, any agricultural or horticultural commodity; but only if such service is performed as an incident to ordinary farming operations. The exclusions from the term "employment" provided in this paragraph shall not be deemed to be applicable with respect to commercial packing houses, commercial storage establishments, commercial canning, commercial freezing, or any other commercial processing or with respect to services performed in connection with the cultivation, raising, harvesting and processing of oysters or raising and harvesting of mushrooms or in connection with any agricultural or horticultural commodity after its delivery to a terminal market for distribution for consumption.

[1989 c 380 § 78; 1977 ex.s. c 292 § 2; 1957 c 264 § 1; 1947 c 215 § 3; 1945 c 35 § 16; Rem. Supp. 1945 § 9998-155. Prior: 1943 c 127 § 13; 1941 c 253 § 14; 1939 c 214 § 16; 1937 c 162 § 19.]

Notes: Effective date -- 1989 c 380 §§ 78-81: "Sections 78 through 81 of this act shall take effect on January 1, 1990." [1989 c 380 § 91.]

Conflict with federal requirements -- 1989 c 380: "If any part of this act is found to be in conflict with federal requirements which are a prescribed condition to the allocation of federal funds to the state or the eligibility of employers in this state for federal unemployment tax credits, the conflicting part of this act is hereby declared to be inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict, and such finding or determination shall not affect the operation of the remainder of this act. The rules under this act shall meet federal requirements which are a necessary condition to the receipt of federal funds by the state or the granting of federal unemployment tax credits to employers in this state." [1989 c 380 § 89.]

Severability -- 1989 c 380: See RCW 15.58.942.

Effective dates -- 1977 ex.s. c 292: See note following RCW 50.04.116.