A worker sorts out parcels in the outbound dock at Amazon fulfillment center in Eastvale, California on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021.
Watchara Phomicinda | MediaNews Group | The Riverside Press-Enterprise via Getty Images
New York state lawmakers on Friday approved a bill targeting Amazon’s use of productivity quotas in warehouses, the latest sign that public officials are taking aim at the online retailer’s labor practices.
The State Assembly passed the bill, called the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, after it was approved Wednesday by the State Senate. It now heads to the desk of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who hasn’t indicated yet whether she will sign the measure.
The legislation requires Amazon and other companies that operate warehouses to provide workers with documentation of their production quotas, and notify them of any changes to their expectations. It also prohibits companies from imposing quotas that prevent workers from taking meal, rest or bathroom breaks.
The bill comes two months after an Amazon warehouse in New York voted in favor of joining a union, the first time that’s happened at one of the company’s U.S. facilities. Workers at the warehouse, located on Staten Island, are being represented by the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), a grassroots group of current and former company employees.
New York isn’t the first state to take such action against Amazon and its peers for quotas. In September, California signed into law a similar bill. And earlier this year,...
Social media was flooded with claims that a girl had been assaulted by alleged Hindu and RSS supporters in the presence of Delhi Police personnel, who supposedly remained silent spectators. The cl...