New York State Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner introduced a new bill to limit production quotas for warehouse workers. The bill, called the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, targets Amazon’s labor practices. It expands on and reinforces the language of a similar California bill that was signed into law in 2021, making the state the first in the United States to have legislation that regulates warehouse quotas.
Productivity quotas prevent workers from complying with safety standards and contribute to rising injury rates in warehouses, Ramos notes in a statement. She explains that if the bill is passed, it can “ease the bargaining process” for workers seeking to make workplace health claims. Warehouses will have to go through an ergonomic assessment of all tasks if the bill becomes law, and companies could face penalties if found to be lacking. The New York State Department of Labor will enforce the rules established under the bill.
Like Motherboard reports, the Warehouse Worker Protection Act will require employers with at least 50 employees in a single warehouse or 500 workers statewide to describe their productivity quotas in a written description. They must also explain how their quotas are developed and how they can be used for disciplinary purposes. If the bill passes, it can ensure that employees also give their workers bathroom breaks and rest periods.
Amazon went to the National Occupational Safety and Health Council most dangerous workplaces in the United States for the third time this year. The advocacy group singled out Amazon for having an injury rate more than double the industry average and pointed to the death which took place at its factory in Bessemer, Alabama. Workers’ rights advocates have also recently accused the e-commerce giant to use its charity placement program to conceal the true injury rates in its warehouses.
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