‘Workers go home hurt:’ New bill aims to protect warehouse workers from unsafe conditions

WASHINGTON — Keith Williams has been in the warehouse industry for around 30 years. He’s worked for an Amazon warehouse in New York for about one year, and said he’s been injured on the job twice in that time.

“A box came down and struck me on the base of my neck. I immediately became dizzy and nauseous,” Williams told our Washington News Bureau. “They would roll up on us and say, ‘hey you’re not meeting your quota, I need you to pick it up.’”

Williams points to those unfair quotas a major safety hazard. That’s when companies require a certain number of packages to be scanned or processed within a set timeframe.

We asked Williams about quotas he has faced at work.

“They wanted 45 an hour and that turns out to be over a thousand packages a day and some of those, half of those packages are 50 pounds,” said Williams.

Now, there is a push to change those conditions at the federal level.

A new proposal dubbed the Warehouse Worker Safety Act would ban quotas that violate health and safety laws. It was introduced by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) during a press conference on Thursday.

“No one should fear losing their job because they have to use the bathroom or take a break,” said Sean O’Brien, General President of International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

The proposal would also require companies to tell employees when there is a quota in place. It allows the Department of Labor to hold companies accountable if they don’t comply.

“The conditions are unsafe,” said Markey. “Their health is not given a priority. Their ability to be treated as human beings with families is just completely disrespected.”

Our Washington News Bureau asked Markey if he has engaged with the private sector, including Amazon, about the proposal.

“We’re engaging the companies and the companies just don’t want any legislation to pass,” said Markey.

The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) said it strongly opposes the bill.

Brian Wild, Chief Government Relations Officer of NAW said in a statement: “This bill represents a costly and unnecessary threat to the U.S. economy, especially for wholesaler-distributors and small businesses. The bill’s quota requirements will negatively affect productivity across the supply chain, leading to delays and price hikes for consumers. It creates an unnecessary “Fairness and Transparency Office” within the Department of Labor, further entangling businesses in bureaucratic red tape and stifling their ability to expand and generate jobs.”

A spokesperson for Amazon says the company is still reviewing the legislation, but added much of what it requires are things the company already does now. Amazon said since 2019, their recordable incident rate improved by 24% and the lost time rate improved by 77%.

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