California Bill Passes, Giving Amazon Warehouse Workers Power To Fight Speed Quotas

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Jordan Barab (You're on mute!) Retweeted

Wow! Congrats to all who worked on this bill to protect Amazon warehouse workers from injury rates that are among the highest in the nation. These CA warehouses also had among the highest turnover rates from the dangerous conditions.

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BUSINESS

California Bill Passes, Giving Amazon Warehouse Workers Power To Fight Speed Quotas

September 8, 20217:04 PM ET

ALINA SELYUKH https://www.twitter.com/alinaselyukh

California lawmakers have passed a first-of-its-kind legislation that would give Amazon and other warehouse workers new power to fight speed quotas, which critics say have forced workers to skip bathroom breaks and skirt safety measures.

The bill, if signed by the governor, could also make public more comprehensive details about the demands Amazon makes of its warehouse staff, specifically about the impact of speed quotas on the workers' health.

"It's the first step in changing working conditions in the warehouse," said Veena Dubal, an expert on labor law and technology at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, who supports the legislation.

Warehouses employ a ballooning workforce, largely thanks to Amazon, now the second-largest private employer in the U.S. with more than 950,000 workers. Tracked by algorithms, Amazon warehouse staff rush to pack and ship a never-ending stream of shopping orders to be delivered in a matter of hours.

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[captain queeg]

1. I worked at a place years ago that had a quota system

It doesn’t take into account the differences on a day to day basis of the difficulty of the work. It’s really not a good system though I could see why management likes it.