New York Urged to Investigate Amazon Warehouse for Safety Violations
- A coalition of labor, worker advocacy and community groups, including the Teamsters and Amazon Labor Union-IBT Local 1, sent a letter Oct. 6 asking the New York State Department of Labor to investigate Amazon’s alleged violations of the state’s Warehouse Worker Protection Act, Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Program and workplace safety committee requirements at its fulfillment center on Staten Island.
- Workers at the facility, which employs about 6,000 people, formed a workplace safety committee in June and compelled Amazon to turn over documents showing it had not implemented the injury-reduction program required by New York law.
- Amazon has not recognized the JFK8 Workplace Safety Committee or provided additional documentation workers requested, according to the coalition. Workers have filed 17 complaints with the state Department of Labor but have not been notified that the agency is investigating.
- New York law requires covered warehouse employers to run an injury-reduction program addressing work-related musculoskeletal disorders and ergonomic risk factors such as pace of work, forceful exertion, repetitive motion and posture, with worker input. Labor Law §27-d also gives workers the right to establish joint labor-management workplace safety committees.
Panic-Button Badge Wins National Workpalce Security Product Award
- Kwema, a Bentonville, Ark., company, won Outstanding New Security Product at last month’s Outstanding Security Performance Awards in Atlanta for its Smart Badge Reel, a badge holder with a button that sends the wearer’s exact location to a supervisor or police to summon help if needed.
- Founder Ali Al Jabry said the device is aimed at workplace violence, particularly for health care workers, and can be used inside a hospital or retail store or out in the field by home health workers.
- Al Jabry said the device has helped prevent attacks, including one in a parking lot in which a customer’s employee was about to be assaulted.
- The Global Security Exchange hosted the awards. About 150 products were nominated and eight were named finalists.