For Immediate Release: May 21, 2024
Media Contact: Lisa Thomas, lisa@alignny.org, (347) 415-6431
Labor Coalition Celebrates Committee Passage of
Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act
ALBANY, NY – The New Yorkers for a Fair Economy coalition released the following statement today in response to the Assembly Labor Committee voting to pass the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act:
“Today, the Assembly Labor Committee heard warehouse workers’ call: New York’s warehouse injury crisis is urgent and preventable, and we have the solution with the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act. Not only have injuries increased 20% in a single year, they’re also getting more severe, with nearly 90% requiring missed time or having long-term health effects. Today, the Labor Committee said enough is enough. We thank Assemblymember Bronson for his leadership on this bill and urge the Assembly, Senate, and Governor Hochul to ensure it passes this session to deliver safe work to the warehouse workers who keep our economy running,” said Theodore A. Moore, Executive Director of ALIGN and spokesperson for New Yorkers for a Fair Economy.
Background:
- Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act (S5081C/A8907)
- 1 in 11 NY warehouse workers are injured annually and NY’s warehouse worker injury rate is 54% higher than the national average. Amazon workers are injured at an even higher rate — 37% more often than workers at non-Amazon facilities.
- Act requires annual safety evaluations of large warehouses for potential risks, establishes industry-wide safety standards, improves training and medical care, and empowers DOL to implement and enforce.
About New Yorkers for a Fair Economy
New Yorkers for a Fair Economy (NYFE) is a coalition of labor unions and community organizations uniting to safeguard our state from the abusive practices of big corporations and achieve an economy that works for all New Yorkers. NYFE is led by ALIGN (Alliance for a Greater New York) and includes labor unions Teamsters Joint Council 16 and Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union; community groups like New York Communities for Change and New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH); and research and advocacy organizations like National Employment Law Project (NELP) and Strategic Organizing Center, among others.