Amazon has been fined $5.9 million by California regulators for allegedly violating the state’s Warehouse Quota Law.
The California Department of Industrial Relations announced the penalty, citing the e-commerce giant’s failure to provide warehouse employees with required written notices about work quotas.
The Warehouse Quota Law mandates that employers must inform workers in writing about any quotas they are expected to meet, detailing the number of tasks per hour and potential disciplinary actions for not meeting these quotas. Find the source at timesofindia
The Department of Industrial Relations stated that Amazon did not comply with this requirement.
The fines were levied for practices at two Amazon facilities in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Specifically, Amazon faces a $1.2 million fine for its Redlands warehouse and a $4.7 million fine for its Moreno Valley location.
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Amazon has disputed the allegations and has appealed the citations.
Company spokesperson Maureen Lynch Vogel defended Amazon’s practices, asserting that the company does not have fixed quotas and that individual performance is assessed over time, allowing employees to discuss performance issues with managers.
Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower emphasized that undisclosed quotas increase pressure on workers, potentially leading to higher injury rates and missed breaks.
She stated that Amazon’s practices were precisely the type of violations the Warehouse Quota Law seeks to prevent.
The investigation began in 2022 after reports from workers at the Southern California facilities.
The enforcement action reflects broader legislative efforts to improve working conditions in warehouses, with similar laws enacted in other states and a federal version introduced in Congress.