- A California bill slated for a vote this week would require warehouse employers (such as Amazon) to disclose productivity quotas and work speed metrics to government agencies.
- “Automated systems generate warnings when too many time off tasks occur in a worker’s shift, and accumulated warnings can result in workers being fired without a human manager even being involved,” Ms. Gonzalez said.
- The legislation is opposed by business groups that claim it will not merely burden employers; it will empower their workers to sue them as well.
Shweta Sharma from Independent writes:
“A California bill, that would require warehouse employers such as Amazon to guarantee restroom breaks, is set to be voted on this week by the state’s senate.
The bill, AB-3056, which was earlier passed by the state’s assembly in May, would require warehouses like Amazon to disclose productivity quotas and work speed metrics to government agencies.
One consternation among the lawmakers, including that of Lorena Gonzalez who authored the bill, has been the tracking of employee progress by warehouses using algorithms.
Critics have often claimed that such automation has forced warehouse workers to compromise on regular breaks and go as far as to curb their use of bathroom breaks.
Ms Gonzalez, who is also a member of California’s assembly, had said in a statement in July that corporations have forced warehouse employees to work faster “and risk their own bodies in the process.”
“Automated systems generate warnings when too many time off tasks occur in a worker’s shift, and accumulated warnings can result in workers being fired without a human manager even being involved,” she said in another statement in May…”
See full story here.
Categories: Business, Government, Labor, Politics, WTF?
Economic Left 
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