The New York bill would require employers with at least 50 employees in a single warehouse or 500 workers statewide to share a written description of productivity quotas, how the quotas are developed, and how they can be used for disciplinary purposes with each worker. The bill is introduced by Ramos, chair of the New York labor committee on Friday, as workers at Amazon’s LDJ5 warehouse in Staten Island voted on whether to unionize with Amazon Labor Union.Īmazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A recent analysis of 2021 OSHA data shows that the serious injury rate at Amazon increased last year and is more than double the rate of non-Amazon workers in the warehouse industry, despite Amazon’s pledge to be “the Earth’s safest place to work.” “As the senate labor chair, I see it as my responsibility to clear the path for any worker who needs to stand up to an abusive employer.”Īt Amazon, injury rates are, on average, higher than other warehouses. “The Warehouse Worker Protection Act will give workers in this industry-union or not-the ability to demand that their health and bodily integrity is accounted for, and not sacrificed for profits they do not get to share in,” said Jessica Ramos, the bill’s author and a New York state senator from Queens. Recent data shows that workers in the e-commerce warehousing industry in New York experience serious work-related injuries at three times the average rate for private industry in the state, according to OSHA data.

The legislation is in part a response to skyrocketing injury rates in Amazon warehouses linked to productivity expectations. The New York bill, known as the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, is an expanded version of a similar first-of-its-kind law that passed in California last year aimed at Amazon that regulates warehouse worker productivity quotas. In the latest effort to challenge Amazon’s grueling labor practices, a new bill, that was introduced on Friday, would require New York employers to disclose and place limits on productivity quotas for warehouse workers.

In the petition, employees said workers making $17 per hour and working 40 hours per week take home about $2,200 per month, but the average rent in California is $1,700 and the average in San Bernardino is $1,650, “meaning that over 75% of our income is going to rent alone.The bill is a response to skyrocketing injury rates in Amazon warehouses. In July, workers submitted a petition calling for pay increases during Amazon’s Prime Week sales event, saying their wages are not enough to live on in Southern California.

“Depending on their shift, our full-time employees can earn up to $19.25 an hour and receive industry-leading benefits including healthcare from Day 1, 401(k) with 50% company match, and up to 20 weeks paid parental leave.”Īmazon officials are continuously listening to concerns and looking at ways they can improve, he said, adding that the company provides competitive pay, comprehensive benefits and an “engaging, safe work experience.” “We are proud to provide full-time employees at our San Bernardino Air Hub and throughout the region a minimum starting wage of $17 an hour,” Flaningan said.

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