Latest news with #WarehouseWorkerProtectionAct
USA Today
30-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Amazon, Stop & Shop warehouse workers testify to 'unsafe' conditions
Companies like Amazon and Stop & Shop, plus the services they provide, are hallmarks of modern living for customers globally. Stop & Shop offers grocery items galore and delivery service; Amazon's exhaustive product offering makes for a one-stop-shop depot. But the warehouse labor to make these popular amenities possible often receives fewer acknowledgments in the mainstream. On June 18, a panel of former and current Amazon and Stop & Shop warehouse employees who are members of the Teamsters Local 25 Union in Boston testified at the Massachusetts Statehouse during a hearing for the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. Two major pieces of legislation, the Extreme Temperature Worker Protection Act and the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, are up for deliberation in the state's House and Senate. If passed, these bills will install stringent new measures that will force employers to comply with regulations designed to make work a safer and more comfortable environment. Teamsters president Thomas Mari also testified at the Statehouse, sharing remarks that criticized 'unfair' quotas and 'unsafe' working conditions that he alleged warehouse workers are subjected to. He added that the Legislature would 'address the immediate need' to improve workplace conditions at large, sophisticated companies, where employees have experienced injury at high rates when compared to the private sector, he said. Stop & Shop employee says prolonged cold takes a toll Luis Andrade has worked for the Stop & Shop distribution center in Freetown for 16 years. His job is to organize incoming shipments of produce on ice in a cooler that he says is set between 32 and 34 degrees. In an interview with The Herald News, part of the USA TODAY Network, he said Stop & Shop provides employees with a $300 stipend at the start of every year. He spends $200 on boots that will lock out the chill and provide traction while bending, lifting and twisting. The other $100 is spent on 'a good jacket,' he said, but he shared that insulated jackets warm enough for the job usually run closer to $200. Amazon Prime benefits: More rural communities to get same-day, next-day Amazon delivery. See where Wet gloves can be exchanged for a dry pair, but for every new pair, $5 will be deducted from his paycheck. Andrade says he requires a new pair every week. 'That's $5 for 52 weeks,' he said, estimating that he spends upwards of $600 to $700 each year on gear. 'The only way to warm up your hands, you have to go to the bathroom,' he said, which cuts into his time moving orders. 'You feel the pain on your body and the heavy lifting. I've worked with thousands of people. It's not for everybody,' Andrade said. Stop & Shop invests in employee wellness while keeping with FDA regs Jennifer Barr, a spokeswoman for Stop & Shop, said in a statement that the company 'takes a number of precautions to help ensure the safety and wellbeing of our distribution center associates.' She said perishable items like produce, and meat, must be maintained at specific temperatures 'in accordance with FDA requirements to ensure the safety and high quality of our products.' Barr stated that less than 1% of the perishable product in the facility is considered "wet," or packed on ice. Though she acknowledged the $300 stipend, she added that employees get three breaks throughout the day, and at the Freetown facility, there are two full-time associates on-site to mitigate safety risks. Physical therapy training, assistance and care is offered to employees, Barr said, and the company has invested in new 'exoskeleton suits' for added employee protection from the elements. Andrade maintained he wishes the company could 'give you more' — boots, gear money, free gloves. 'Everybody wants to work in a safe environment,' he said. A former employee recalls urgency, not advocacy, at an Amazon center All of Amazon's fulfillment centers are climate-controlled and have internal systems that measure the heat index in the building, said Sam Stephenson, a spokesman for Amazon. 'We're proud that our heat mitigation practices are industry-leading — we meet all state requirements and federal guidance, and in many ways, go above and beyond them,' Stephenson said. Former Amazon employee Max Cardone publicly accused the Revere-based warehouse of maintaining extreme temperatures that, he said, caused employees to faint and warranted ambulatory care during his three years with the company. In response, Stephenson noted that there are 'more than a dozen water fountains in the [Revere] building and we provide water bottles to employees to make staying hydrated even easier for them.' Cardone previously stated that water was unavailable, and only after employees petitioned for it were cases delivered. 'Workplace conditions were subpar, to say the least,' he said in remarks to state senators and representatives present at the hearing. While Cardone described 120- to 150-packages daily quotas and other safety gear being 'gate-kept' or reserved for top performers. Stephenson stated for the record that 'gear is provided to any employee working outdoors. The safety of our employees is our top priority,' and debunked the misconception that Amazon observes fixed quotas. 'We do not. Like any business, we have performance expectations for our teams, but these expectations are based on multiple factors, including the performance of the entire team, sitewide,' Stephenson said. Last year, California fined Amazon $5.9 million for 59,000 violations of the state's quota law at two warehouses. New York, Rhode Island and Connecticut have followed suit by drafting legislation to protect warehouse workers or curtail quotas, Mari maintained. During the hearing, Cardone lodged accusations that 10- or 15-minute breaks recommended with heat index warnings 'were ignored,' he said. But Stephenson maintained that employees are 'encouraged to take a preventive cool-down rest break anytime they need to do so.'
Associated Press
26-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
TEAMSTERS UNION SLAMS GOV. PRITZKER FOR VETOING WAREHOUSE WORKER PROTECTION ACT
Billionaire Governor's Anti-Worker Measure Further Harms Amazon Workers CHICAGO, March 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Teamsters Union is condemning Gov. JB Pritzker for vetoing House Bill 2547, the Illinois Warehouse Worker Protection Act (WWPA). The bipartisan legislation, which passed through the statehouse with overwhelming support, would have prevented companies like Amazon from abusing the workforce by regulating the use and disclosure of warehouse quotas. 'We are deeply disappointed that the governor has vetoed the Warehouse Worker Protection Act. In doing so, he has abandoned the very people who give their all every day, working under inhumane production quotas that are not only unacceptable but also dangerous,' said Thomas W. Stiede, President of Teamsters Joint Council 25. 'Having been a warehouse worker, I'm deeply familiar with the harsh and inhumane conditions in this industry, and I know firsthand why this bill is necessary. It's unfortunate that our Governor doesn't have those same experiences or sympathies. Warehouse workers, including those at Amazon, are simply trying to provide for their families honestly and safely, and the Illinois governor has turned his back on them.' California, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Washington have already passed their own versions of the WWPA, and a similar measure at the federal level has bipartisan support. 'The Warehouse Worker Protection Act is the most commonsense, effective solution to the rampant abuse of warehouse workers by greedy and dangerous companies like Amazon,' said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien. 'The Teamsters will never stop fighting for it, both federally and in state houses across the country. In light of the governor's reckless act, Illinois clearly needs stronger leadership that has the backbone and compassion to put hardworking families first.' Teamsters Joint Council 25 represents more than 125,000 hardworking men and women throughout Illinois and northwest Indiana.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pritzker vetoes bill aimed at protecting warehouse workers from quota penalties
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — Gov. JB Pritzker vetoed a bill that would have protected warehouse workers from punishments for failing to meet quotas or using the restroom. Pritzker said the Warehouse Worker Protection Act was too vague on who would be covered by it and said the process for enforcing the policy is unclear. 'In this tight budget year and in the face of unpredictable enforcement and funding from the federal government, it is critical that advocates, legislators and my administration work together to ensure any new labor laws are straightforward to implement and do not create a risk of legal challenges,' Pritzker said. 'I am also charging the Illinois Department of Labor with streamlining and prioritizing resources to build a field enforcement team that can respond quickly and effectively to dangerous conditions, lack of meal and rest breaks, and other concerns in warehouses,' Pritzker added. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support from 79 lawmakers in January, meaning it could have enough support to break the 71 vote threshold needed to override the governor's veto. Thirty-six votes are needed to override a veto in the Senate, where the bill received 35 votes when it passed in January. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
