Special to the Journal
Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health, and Retirement Security joined Amazon warehouse workers and labor leaders in Revere to urge passage of the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, legislation that would protect warehouse workers by prohibiting dangerous work speed quotas that lead to high rates of worker injuries and requiring companies to disclose what quotas apply to workers.
“I am proud to stand with warehouse workers to call attention to the exploitative and dangerous conditions at Amazon. Companies like Amazon would rather protect their bottom line than protect the workers that make their companies run. Workers are forced to break their own backs to try and make a living for themselves and their families,” said Senator Markey. “We must pass my Warehouse Worker Protection Act to protect warehouse workers from corporate greed, to ensure that they are treated with respect, and provide the safety, security, and support they rightfully deserve.”
“Amazon is leading a race to the bottom where corporations abuse warehouse workers and sacrifice their health and safety for profits. Teamsters will fight for workers wherever they are ready to assert their power, fight for their rights, and stand up to corporate greed. The Teamsters will be there standing with them, shoulder to shoulder. The Warehouse Worker Protection Act will force transparency and accountability and raise the standards nationwide in an industry that used to provide good, union, middle class jobs everywhere. It’s time for Congress and the Massachusetts Legislature to take a stand to give all workers the fair and dignified workplace they deserve,” said Tom Mari, President of Teamsters Local 25.
“The more we talk to Amazon warehouse workers who constantly describe the most abusive and dangerous workplace imaginable, the more determined we are to help them. International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien’s strong leadership is empowering us to make an impact for these workers and President Tom Mari has been in this fight since we first started, doing everything in his power to move this campaign forward. Teamsters Local 25 understands this is a pivotal moment for our future and we won’t rest until greedy corporations give all warehouse workers the wages, safety and respect they deserve,” said Chris Smolinsky, Director of Organizing for Teamsters Local 25 and International Brotherhood of Teamsters Eastern Region Organizing Coordinator for the Amazon Division.
The Warehouse Worker Protection Act would require companies to provide written notice to workers of quotas and prohibit dangerous quotas – including those that rely on constant intrusive surveillance, interfere with workers’ ability to use the bathroom and take guaranteed breaks, violate health and safety laws, or prevent workers from exercising their right to organize. The legislation also directs the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to create an ergonomic management standard for warehouse workers.
Large companies seek to maximize profits by instituting exacting quota systems that push workers to their physical limits, resulting in high injury rates that can, in some cases, be permanently disabling and a loss of dignity at work. A report released in May 2024 by the National Employment Law Project (NELP) and other worker groups demonstrates that one in fifteen Amazon workers sustain injuries, with Amazon representing 79 percent of large warehouse employment but 86 percent of all injuries. Recent data shows also that more than half of workers (54% of Amazon and 57% of Walmart) reported that their production rate makes it hard for them to use the bathroom at least some of the time. In addition, the NELP report indicates that these quotas are sometimes applied without employer disclosure, despite employees being held accountable to those standards.
Senator Markey, along with Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), introduced the Warehouse Worker Protection Act on May 2, 2024.
The Warehouse Worker Protection Act is cosponsored by Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.).
The Warehouse Worker Protection Act is endorsed by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the United Food and Commercial Workers, the National Employment Law Project (NELP), the Athena Coalition, and Oxfam America.
Mayor Patrick Keefe and State Reps. Jessica Giannino and Jeff Turco spoke in support of Sen. Markey’s bill, the Warehouse Worker Protection Act.
“Revere isn’t just a union city: we’re a community that recognizes the vital role unions play in safeguarding our workers’ rights,” said Keefe. “Senator Markey has once again shown us what true leadership looks like with the Warehouse Worker Protection Act. This legislation sends a powerful message to Washington and the entire nation: that workers’ safety and dignity are non-negotiable. We’re fortunate to have leaders like Senator Markey, a true champion of labor rights.”
Rep. Giannino who also thanked Markey for his advocacy on the issue of workers’ rights, said, “We are so lucky to have you making sure that bad actors like Amazon don’t put profits over people. In the City of Revere, we know what that means – because we know that strong families start with strong union jobs. The City of Revere has strong, strong union ties. We’re a blue-collar community. I see former councilor Steve Morabito [in attendance]. When we served on the Council together, the City of Revere was one of the first communities to pass the wage theft ordinance. We’re still fighting for that on Beacon Hill.”
Rep. Jeff Turco concluded the speaking portion of the program, stating, “Sen. Markey, everything that you’ve done is working for and improving the quality of life for the working men and women that made America great and made Revere great.”
Referring to a quote by the late Robert F. Kennedy in 1964 about doing what is right, Turco said, “This bill that you’ve introduced, and [State] Sen. Lydia Edwards has introduced [in the Mass. Senate] is the right thing to do for working men and women. I’m so proud to stand up here with you and the members of the labor unions to say, enough is enough.”
Turco noted that State Sen. Lydia Edwards was unable to attend the press conference because she is in basic training for the U.S. National Guard as a JAG officer.
