NEW YORK — Legislation protecting warehouse workers from excessively demanding work quotas has gone into effect in New York, Governor Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday.
The Warehouse Workers Protection Law, signed into law in December, includes new requirements for distribution centers to disclose work speed data to current and former employees to inform them of their job performance and their rights in the workplace.
The legislation also protects workers from disciplinary action or firing solely for failing to meet quotas or undisclosed performance standards, including those that fail to allow adequate breaks.
“New York’s warehouse workers deserve to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect, and we are taking an important step toward that,” said Governor Hochul. “I was proud to sign the Warehouse Worker Protection Act to address unreasonable work quotas and provide warehouse workers protection from retaliation by their employers. With this legislation now in effect, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensure fairer and safer workplaces for all New Yorkers.”
With the Warehouse Worker Protection Act now in effect, employees can request toll information at any time and are protected from:
- Being forced to work during meals to meet the quota.
- Limit the use of bathroom facilities to make up the fee.
- Retaliation by an employer in connection with requesting information about fees or reporting violations related to fees.
This law applies to employers and employees in warehouse distribution centers. Under the law, a warehouse distribution center is defined using the North American Industry Classification System codes for warehouse and warehouse (excluding produce warehouse and warehouse), merchant wholesalers, electronic buying houses, and order by mail. mail, and courier and express delivery services.
If an employee believes that their employer is violating these protections, they may request a written description of the fee to which they are subject. They may also request a copy of the most recent 90-day personal work rate data and a copy of aggregated work rate data for similar employees at the same establishment during the same period. Employers are responsible for distributing this information no later than 14 calendar days after making the request.
Employers must share quotas with employees through a written description (in their preferred language) of each quota they are expected to achieve. This must be done within 30 days of an employee’s start date.
Where can I find more information or report a violation of the law?
For more information on the Warehouse Workers Protection Act, visit the NYSDOL website. To report a violation of this law, email [email protected].
