New York Governor Hochul signed the Warehouse Worker Protection Act (WWPA) into law earlier this year. This new law aims to protect workers from unreasonable work quotas. The law went into effect on February 19, 2023.
What does this law do?
The law protects warehouse workers who do not meet the speed requirements set out by their employers. It establishes warehouse requirements to report work speed information to their current and former employees. It also requires employers to inform employees of their expectations, their rights, and how they perform.
The act applies to any employer with 100+ employees working in a single warehouse or 500+ employees at more than one warehouse.
What is a “quota”?
Under the law, quotas are work standards that a company requires an employee to perform measured by speed or output within a specific time or the time that an employer considers productive time.
From now on, covered employers have 30 days upon hiring a new employee to provide them with a written description of every quota and the consequences if the employee does not meet those quotas.
Changes in quotas
Suppose that at any point the employer changes the quotas for employees. In that case, they must inform employees within 2 days of the change and provide each employee with another written description of the quotas.
Recordkeeping
Employers must keep records of each employee’s work information, the work information of other employees in the same role or position and written descriptions of the quotas. The act prohibits employers from retaliating against employees if employees exercise their rights in good faith.
Penalties
The Commissioner of Labor will create penalties employers will receive if they violate New York’s Attorney provisions of this act. The Attorney General can also prosecute employers if they fail to enforce these provisions.