Amazon Could Be Banned From 'Stressful' Labor Practices In This State

A proposed law meant to do more to reduce “stressful labor conditions” has been completed by the California Senate and it has Amazon in its cross hairs.

On Wednesday, lawmakers finished work on Assembly Bill 701, a measure that would require warehouse employers in the state to provide new data on work metrics used to monitor employees and ban unfair penalties levied against workers. Gov. Gavin Newsom has not signaled whether he would sign the bill into law or not, or if he supports the bill.

Chief among the likely targets of the bill is Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the U.S. and one of the most valued companies in the world. Amazon has been criticized for fostering a grueling work environment for its warehouse employees. Attempts to form a union among warehouse workers have been intensely resisted by Amazon, which successfully squashed a widely publicized attempt in Alabama. One of the nation’s largest labor unions, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has pledged to make unionizing Amazon employees a top priority after this failure.

One of the key provisions of A.B. 701 is to require employers in California warehouses to disclose to government agencies and employees what quotas or metrics are used to track workers. Amazon employees have recounted the weighty expectations of warehouse managers, who in some cases penalize them for even taking bathroom breaks or other necessary pauses during work. This pressure to perform has also pushed workers to the point of injuring themselves trying to meet Amazon’s metrics and the company has a workplace injury rate double the nationwide average, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA).

Under the proposed law, California's labor commissioner would be responsible for enforcement of A.B. 701's provisions and it would authorize the office to require access to data from the state's Department of Industrial Relations. The information shared with the commissioner would include data on employer-reported injury data, enforcement actions and employers who commit fraud or wage theft against employees.

The penalties imposed by Amazon on warehouse workers for taking necessary breaks would be banned. Employees would also be provided the right to appeal in cases where they believe their rights are being violated by their workplace.

Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos in the past has acknowledged that the company could do better for its employees. Other warehouse employers and industry associations have opposed the law as overly broad, including the California Chamber of Commerce.