A New Law in California Aims to Protect Workers at Retail Warehouses Like Amazon's

SACRAMENTO, CA – California has become the first state to implement a law that addresses working conditions for warehouse workers, like those for Amazon and other major companies.

On Wednesday, September 22, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 701 into law to start taking effect next year. The law aims to address the impact of quotas on worker injuries and health.

It establishes new standards for companies to make clear to warehouse staff what their production quotas are and ensures that workers cannot be fired or retaliated against for failing to meet an unsafe quota.

Under this law, the state Labor Commission will have the authority to issue citations to companies in violation. The department will also be allowed to access workers' compensation data to find facilities where there are high rates of injury and investigate whether it's due to the use of unsafe quotas.

The law also bans the use of algorithms that track rests and bathroom breaks.