NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A bill to limit productivity quotas at warehouses in order to prevent injuries passed the New York State Assembly on Friday — the last day of the 2022 legislative session.
The Warehouse Worker Protection Act, which passed the State Senate on Wednesday, would require employers to self-report quotas and comply with worker meal, rest, bathroom or safety laws.
The bill, which is sponsored by State Sen. Jessica Ramos of Queens, is a direct challenge to Amazon.
The megacorporation set injury records at warehouses last year with more than 34,000 serious injuries on the job in 2021 — 10,000 more injuries than were recorded in 2020, according to a report from the union-backed Strategic Organizing Center.
The National Employment Law Project found injuries in Amazon facilities located in New York increased 64% in 2021 based on the company’s own data.
“On one side, they’re pushing back against pervasive union-busting campaigns, and on the other, they are contending with write-ups and penalties from an opaque algorithm that can’t be bargained with,” said Ramos, who serves as the State Senate Labor Chair. “These so-called productivity quotas do not allow for workers to comply with recommended ergonomic health and safety standards and contribute to a workplace injury rate that accelerates turnover.”
The bill has the support of the Amazon Labor Union, which won its first election at the JFK8 Fulfillment Center on Staten Island in early April. The union sees the bill as a boon both because it could prevent injuries and because the company could no longer leverage quotas during bargaining.
“When we pass the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, we can ease the bargaining process for any worker in any warehouse or fulfillment center who is seeking to make collective demands for health and dignity in their workplace,” said Ramos.
It’s up to Gov. Kathy Hochul to either sign the bill into law or veto it and send it back to the legislature, which won’t be meeting again until January.
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