Press Releases
Washington Teamsters Applaud Passage of Warehouse Worker Protection Bills
Legislation Will Prevent Unnecessary, Avoidable Occupational Hazards
Press Contact: Matt McQuaid Phone: (202) 624-6877 Email: mmcquaid@teamster.org
(OLYMPIA, Wash.) – Today, the Teamsters are commending Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and members of the state legislature for enacting House Bill 1762, an Act Relating to Protecting Employees of Warehouses (HB 1762). HB 1762 will implement limits on warehouse worker production quotas.
“Congratulations to Gov. Inslee, Rep. Beth Doglio, and everyone who worked so hard to get HB 1762 enacted into law,” said John Scearcy, Teamsters Local 117 Secretary-Treasurer. “For far too long, warehouse workers have been risking grievous bodily harm in order to not lose their jobs, creating a sense of fear every time they clock in. These laws ensure that nobody shall be required to meet a quota that risks their health, safety, ability to take breaks, or even do something as simple as use the bathroom.”
“We’re extremely proud to have enacted this law in the birthplace of Amazon,” said Rick Hicks, Teamsters Western Region International Vice President and President of Teamsters Joint Council 28. “Amazon has an injury rate that is twice the industry average and a turnover rate of 150 percent. HB 1762 is critical to making sure that the world’s largest online retailer is held accountable for its inhumane, churn-and-burn business model.”
Washington is the latest in a slew of states that are looking at laws to protect occupational safety in the supply chain. California and New York passed warehouse worker protection bills last year, and similar legislation is pending in 12 other states with support from local Teamsters.
“We are bringing the fight to statehouses all across the country to make sure that multibillion-dollar conglomerates aren’t lining their pockets by treating life-altering traumatic injuries as somebody else’s problem,” said Tom Erickson, Teamsters Central Region International Vice President and Warehouse Division Director. “As more and more technology is implemented in the workplace to increasingly squeeze productivity, regulation like this becomes critical to ensuring employers are protecting the people responsible for their ever-increasing profit margins.”
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at facebook.com/teamsters.