New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Warehouse Worker Protection Act into law, protecting warehouse workers from unlawful or undisclosed work speed quotas.
The law, which was signed Dec. 21, also includes protections for workers who fail to meet unlawful quotas.
Hochul said the law “aims to protect warehouse workers from unreasonably demanding work quotas” and “will institute new requirements for distribution centers to disclose work speed data to current and former employees to inform workers about their performance and their rights in the workplace.”
This legislation will also protect workers from adverse employment actions, such as disciplinary action or termination, exclusively because of a failure to meet undisclosed speed quotas or quotas that do not allow for proper breaks.
Work speed quotas at warehouses have been blamed for high injury rates at companies such as Amazon, which has come under scrutiny after allegations that the company pushes workers too hard and doesn’t allow them to take adequate breaks.
On Dec. 23, Hochul signed Carlos’ Law, which is legislation that raises the fine against employers for felonies or misdemeanors relating to an employee’s death or serious physical injury up to $500,000.
