New York, NY – A coalition of labor and community organizations sent a letter to the New York State Department of Labor demanding an investigation into Amazon’s violations of warehouse worker safety laws at JFK8 fulfillment center in Staten Island.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Amazon Labor Union-IBT Local 1, Doctors Council and ALIGN, are among several organizations that have joined to make a formal request to the Department of Labor’s Safety, Health, and Essential Rights Division for an investigation into Amazon’s violations of the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Program, and workplace safety committee requirements under New York Labor Law.
“New York has established clear legal protections to ensure that warehouse workers have a meaningful role in identifying and preventing workplace injuries. Amazon cannot disregard those requirements,” said Connor Spence, President of Amazon Labor Union-IBT Local 1. “We are asking the Department of Labor to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that these protections are enforced.”
JFK8 employs over 6,000 workers. JFK8 workers formed a workplace safety committee and compelled Amazon to turn over documents showing that the company had not implemented an injury-reduction program as required by New York law. New York law provides workers with a statutory right to set up workplace safety committees. Under Labor Law §27-d, eligible workers may establish and administer joint labor-management workplace safety committees with the authority to raise health and safety concerns, review workplace safety policies and reports, participate in governmental site visits, and exercise other protections provided by law. Amazon has not satisfied the requirements of the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Program and the committee has been in touch with the NYSDOL.
“We shouldn’t have to beg Amazon to take our safety seriously,” said Michael Lebron, a current JFK8 worker and member of the Workplace Safety Committee. “We have followed the law, formed a safety committee, and asked for information we are legally entitled to. Amazon’s response shows that they still don’t want workers to have a meaningful voice in our own safety. We need the Department of Labor to step in and enforce the protections that we fought for.”
New York is among several states that have enacted protections addressing warehouse quotas and work speed. New York law requires warehouse employers to implement an Injury Reduction Program addressing work-related musculoskeletal disorders and associated ergonomic risk factors, including pace of work, forceful exertion, repetitive motion, and posture. The law also requires employers to include input from workers into the injury-reduction process.
The coalition is calling on the Department of Labor to promptly investigate Amazon’s compliance with New York warehouse worker protections and take appropriate enforcement action where violations are found.
