California, Sept. 23 (BUS): California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed a bill limiting warehouse employers such as Amazon.com Inc from setting productivity quotas, the first legislation of its kind in the United States.
The governor’s office said the new provisions require all companies that use warehouse workers to disclose productivity quotas to employees and government agencies and to prevent the use of algorithms that prevent employees from taking breaks and restrooms, putting their health and safety at risk.
This month, the California state Senate approved the bill by 26 to 11.
“We cannot allow companies to put profits on people,” Newsom said in a statement that signed the measure into law.
“Legislation ensures that workers are not fired or retaliated for failing to meet an unsafe quota.”
While Newsom’s office did not identify any company in the statement, the New York Times reported that the bill was written in part in response to high infection rates at Amazon warehouses.
The newspaper reported, citing studies, that the rate of Amazon workers being seriously injured was twice the rate that the rest of the workers in the warehouse industry were exposed to last year.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The hard-working warehouse staff who helped us support us during these unprecedented times should not have to risk injury or face punishment as a result of exploitative quotas that violate basic health and safety,” Newsom said.
The California Retailers Association expressed disappointment with Newsom’s signing of the law, saying it would “exacerbate our current supply chain problems, increase the cost of living for all Californians and eliminate well-paying jobs.”
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