New York gets closer to cracking down on Amazon’s warehouse production quotas

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

CNBC reported on Friday that the Warehouse Worker Protection Act was passed by the New York State Assembly. If New York Governor Kathy Hochul signs it into law, it will prevent employees from having to meet certain requirements.

Within 30 days of the bill becoming law, employers will need to give each warehouse worker a written description of each quota to which they are subject. Employers are not allowed to punish workers for failing to meet quota or for having to skip breaks. Governor Hochul hasn't said if she will approve the bill or not. A request for comment was made to Amazon but they didn't reply immediately.

While the bill's text doesn't directly mention Amazon, New York Senator Jessica Ramos acknowledged that it's designed to address Amazon's management practices, which she claims involve "dehumanizing workers." Some workers at Amazon urinate in bottles and skip bathroom breaks in order to meet production standards according to previous reports.

Organization efforts are increasing at Amazon warehouses. Workers at a Staten Island warehouse became the first to unionize. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) is contesting the results of a union election at a warehouse in Alabama, which was the only warehouse to vote in favor of a union.

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