“These backbreaking conditions have significant implications for communities of color,” the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and other bill supporters wrote lawmakers this summer. “Many … feel they must accept unsafe conditions to keep a roof over their heads. [They] are least likely to have adequate health insurance or any safety net.”
“Workplace quotas have been around for centuries,” said Sheheryar Kaoosji, the center’s executive director. “We’ve seen In further compromises last week, backers amended the measure to cut out a requirement for Cal/OSHA, the state’s workplace safety agency, to adopt a warehouse-specific injury rule. Backers said the bill remains strong because it steps up enforcement by the state labor commissioner. New language also exempts farm facilities to prevent spoilage before shipping.Republican lawmakers continue to oppose the legislation, saying it will raise consumer prices and burden companies with litigation.
From the first day, Amazon “said it’s a very physical job, but they never told us about the quotas,” he recalled. “You were allowed 30 minutes ‘time off task’ a week. But the bathrooms are at the far ends of the warehouse. If you took 10 minutes to go once a day when you weren’t on break, you would be written up at the end of the week.”