California's labor regulator on Tuesday imposed a fine of nearly $6 million on Amazon for breaching a state law intended to limit the imposition of demanding warehouse productivity quotas.

The California Labor Commissioner's Office reported conducting investigations at two Amazon facilities in Moreno Valley and Redlands, situated east of Los Angeles. There, they discovered 59,017 violations of the state's Warehouse Quotas law, which have emerged as a significant concern among Amazon employees.

The Warehouse Quotas Law

The "Warehouse Quotas" law was implemented in 2022. It mandates employers disclose productivity quotas to both employees and government agencies, with outlined consequences if employees fail to meet these quotas. Employers are also prohibited from imposing unsafe quotas, such as preventing warehouse employees from taking state-mandated meals and rest breaks or from simply accessing restroom facilities.

According to a statement from the Labor Commissioner's office on Tuesday, Amazon did not provide written notice of quotas but rather depended on a peer-to-peer evaluation system, which Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower criticized as the same system the Warehouse Quotas law was trying to prevent.

In recent years, Amazon has been scrutinized for its treatment of warehouse and delivery employees. Critics and regulators have focused particularly on the pace of work, where speed requirements increase the risk of injury among workers.

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Amazon's Labor Law Violation

Safety regulators in Washington also fined Amazon in 2022 for willfully violating workplace safety laws, causing an increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders by requiring employees to work on repetitive tasks.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the Labor Department has repeatedly cited Amazon for safety violations, but Amazon has announced its intention to appeal all the citations. Several states, including New York, Washington, and Minnesota, have enacted similar regulations addressing workplace safety concerns, with Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, introducing a federal bill on this matter last month.

Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the US, has stated that it does not employ fixed quotas but rather utilizes performance expectations that consider various indicators, including team performance within specific sites. Amazon has also contested claims that its employees do not receive adequate breaks. The company has also defended its safety record, stating in March that its injury rates have shown improvement and revealed intentions to allocate over $750 million towards safety initiatives throughout the year.

According to Maureen Lynch Vogel, Amazon's spokesperson, the company has initiated an appeal process to dispute the allegations. As clarified in an email statement, Amazon does not have fixed quotas, and individual performance at Amazon is assessed over an extended period, taking into account the performance of the entire site team. Employees are encouraged to review their performance at any time and can approach a manager for assistance if they encounter difficulties in accessing information.

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