{"id":10432,"date":"2023-05-24T17:56:11","date_gmt":"2023-05-24T15:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniglobalunion.org\/?post_type=news&p=10432"},"modified":"2023-05-24T18:06:38","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T16:06:38","slug":"amazon-campaign-activists-win-new-law-in-minnesota-to-make-warehouses-safer","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/uniglobalunion.org\/news\/amazon-campaign-activists-win-new-law-in-minnesota-to-make-warehouses-safer\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon campaign activists win new law in Minnesota to make warehouses safer\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
In a victory for worker protections and rights, lawmakers in the U.S. state of Minnesota have joined California and New York in passing legislation to enhance safeguards for warehouse employees, particularly those working for companies like Amazon. The legislation, supported by a coalition including worker centre Awood, comes as a response to \u00a0mounting proof that excessive productivity quotas are leading to unsafe and overly stressful conditions within the industry, causing workers to skip breaks and increasing the risk of injury.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
Under the bill, employers must provide warehouse workers with written descriptions of any quotas, along with comprehensive information about performance evaluations and consequences of failing to meet production targets. Companies cannot fire workers who have not been informed of the quota requirements. Additionally, the legislation explicitly prohibits productivity quotas that keep workers from taking necessary breaks.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
The bill also gives the state the ability to investigate employers, like Amazon, with injury rates exceeding 30 per cent compared to industry peers. Earlier this year, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration found<\/a> that \u201cAmazon exposed workers to unsafe conditions and ergonomic hazards\u201d leading to \u201cserious worker injuries\u201d in several warehouses. A Strategic Organizing Center study<\/a> uncovered that the injury rate at Amazon facilities increased by 20 percent between 2020 and 2021.<\/p>\r\n