Tag: warehouse
Amazon fined by regulators for unsafe warehouse work conditions
Federal regulators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that three Amazon warehouse facilities had violated legislation designed to require employers to provide safe working environments. Investigations found that Amazon workers are at high risk for back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), especially in warehouse environments that prioritize speed over safety. “While […]
Amazon fined by regulators for unsafe warehouse work conditions by Amanda Silberling originally published on TechCrunch
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New York’s New Warehouse Worker Law Sets It Sights on Amazon’s Dystopian ‘Time Off Task’ Productivity Metric
Amazon warehouse workers in New York may finally have some legal reprieve from the company’s alleged soul crushing AI-assisted productive quotas. Those quotas were partly responsible for harrowing accounts of Amazon workers last year admitting they felt pressured to pee in bottles to avoid performance penalties.
New York signs onto the Warehouse Worker Protection Act
After clearing both houses of the New York State Legislature in June, Governor Kathy Hochul has finally signed the Warehouse Worker Protection Act. Broadly modeled after AB-701, the landmark labor law California enacted earlier this year, the legislation aims to protect workers from unreasonable productivity quotas. Under the law, New York State will require major warehouse companies, including Amazon, to provide new hires and current employees with documentation detailing their productivity expectations.
The law also gives workers the right to request their quota at any time, including after their employment ends. Additionally, the legislation prohibits companies from imposing quotas that interfere with a worker’s state-mandated meal and restroom breaks. Companies also cannot fire someone for failing to meet an undisclosed quota.
“Regulations protecting workers in the warehousing industry have lagged far behind its rapid growth until today,” said the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), one of the labor groups that pushed for the legislation. “The RWDSU has long prioritized the challenge of protecting warehouse workers from stress-induced injuries and illness from limitless quotas and it’s why we pushed for the introduction of the Warehouse Worker Protection Act this year.”
As you can imagine, Warehouse Worker Protection Act advocates had Amazon in mind when they campaigned for the bill. The retail giant operates more than 70 facilities across the state, more than half of which have opened since the start of 2021. In 2020, a report from the Center for Investigative Reporting found the company expected workers at its newer and more automated fulfillment centers to meet unrealistic productivity quotas that made them more likely to sustain serious injuries.
Before handing the reins of the retail giant to Andy Jassy in 2021, former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos denied the company had unreasonable productivity quotas. In his final letter to company shareholders, he said Amazon gave workers opportunities to “take informal breaks throughout their shifts,” adding the company “set achievable performance goals that take into account tenure and actual employee performance data.”
AI-powered Amazon warehouse robot performs the “repetitive tasks” carried out by human workers
Amazon union organizers call off election attempt at a California warehouse
The Amazon Labor Union has withdrawn its petition to hold an election at an Amazon fulfillment center in Moreno Valley, California, according to Kayla Blado, a spokesperson for the National Labor Relations Board. It’s a sharp-turn around for organization efforts at the facility, known as ONT8; the petition was filed on October 12th, and the NLRB had confirmed that there was a sufficient showing of interest to proceed with the election, according to The Los Angeles Times’ Suhauna Hussain.
It’s unclear why the petition was withdrawn or if it has any relation to the ALU’s recent loss in Albany, New York. The withdrawal request isn’t currently publicly available, but petitioners don’t have to tell the NLRB why they’re withdrawing, according…
Amazon workers hold impromptu strike after Staten Island warehouse fire
More than 100 Amazon employees conducted a work stoppage for around three hours after a fire broke out at a fulfillment center on Staten Island, New York. Night shift workers were moved to a break room as firefighters tackled a dumpster fire on a shipping dock next to the JFK8 warehouse. No one was injured, according to the New York City Fire Department, which was called to the scene at around 4PM ET on Monday.
Amazon Labor Union (ALU) president Chris Smalls said around 500 employees declined to return to work. Amazon put the figure at 100 and said another 1,000 kept working. The workers who downed tools occupied the human resources office and demanded paid time off for the night, as Motherboard reports.
Warning ⚠️ Workers screaming EVACUATE yet Amazon refuses to let Night Shift be excused with pay the burnt chemicals from the compactor still linger by docks hundreds of workers want to go home. Amazon will be held accountable @amazonlabor ✊🏽 pic.twitter.com/XOpiRHLkQH
— Christian Smalls (@Shut_downAmazon) October 4, 2022
“All employees were safely evacuated, and day shift employees were sent home with pay,” Amazon spokesperson Paul Flaningan told Gothamist. “The FDNY certified the building is safe and at that point we asked all night shift employees to report to their regularly scheduled shift. While the vast majority of employees reported to their workstations, a small group refused to return to work and remained in the building without permission.”
Workers at the warehouse voted to form a union earlier this year. Amazon has contested the results of the election. Last month, a hearing officer recommended that the National Labor Relations Board should reject Amazon’s claims that the vote was invalid and authorize the union. Pending further appeals, Amazon has not started union contract negotiations.
Meanwhile, workers at another Amazon warehouse are seeking to unionize with the ALU. An election will be held at a fulfillment center outside of Albany later this month. Amid unionization efforts across the company, Amazon this week announced it will increase hourly workers’ pay.
Happening Now‼️ after a raging fire on ship dock 500 plus workers sat in the break room demanding to be sent home with pay for safety due to the smoke. @amazonlabor Lead organizes are now Marching on the Boss with hundreds of workers!✊🏽 #Alllaborwinter#ALU#UnionStrongpic.twitter.com/PsBrj27NKj
— Christian Smalls (@Shut_downAmazon) October 4, 2022