New Jersey warehouse workers frightened of dangers, demand better pay

NEWARK - New Jersey's sprawling Ports of Newark, Elizabeth and Bayonne and its network of highways are helping to fuel the Garden State's transformation into the warehouse state, an engine fueled by e-commerce deliveries.

But labor unions and community organizers said it comes at a high cost: dangerous workplace conditions and low wages.

Last week one worker was critically injured and two dozen others were sent to hospitals after a can of bear repellent fell off a shelf at Amazon's giant warehouse in Robbinsville, Amazon is a big employer in New Jersey, with eight fulfillment centers and more than 16,000 employees in the state. The workplace accident is under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a process that can take six months.

"While New Jersey warehouses generate billions in profits for companies like Amazon, thousands of warehouse workers face a deepening crisis of low wages, unsafe work conditions and unstable part-time and temporary employment," said Alberto Arroyo, co-manager of the Laundry, Distribution and Food Service Joint Board, Workers United SEIU.

Read more: https://www.app.com/story/money/business/consumer/2018/12/12/nj-warehouse-workers-frightened-dangers-demand-better-pay/2276904002/