Oregon Warehouse Worker Protection Bill Signed Into Law

https://teamster.org/2024/04/oregon-warehouse-worker-protection-bill-signed-into-law/

2024.04.02

Teamsters Applaud State Legislature and Gov. Tina Kotek for Protecting Warehouse Workers’ Rights, Improving Safety Standards

Press Contact: Matt McQuaid Phone: (202) 624-6877 Email: mmcquaid@teamster.org

(SALEM, Ore.)—The Teamsters applaud Gov. Tina Kotek for signing into law HB 4127, a bill that will improve worker safety in the e-commerce and warehouse industries by ensuring that workplace quotas do not interfere with workers’ rights and safety standards.

“Oregon warehouse workers have long been subjected to unsafe working conditions due to secretive and unrealistic production quotas generated using arbitrary computer algorithms,” said Mark Davison, Teamsters Western Region International Vice President and President of Joint Council 37. “Governor Tina Kotek’s signing of HB 4127 is a significant stride toward ensuring the safety and well-being of workers, and it addresses the exploitative quota systems used by profit-driven companies like Amazon.”

“This law is a big step forward for workers in our state,” said Austin DePaolo, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 223. “It will improve workers’ rights by providing workers with transparency and holding companies that utilize arbitrary quotas accountable. I thank the state legislature and Governor Kotek for protecting working people and improving safety standards.”

“By establishing the expectations of workers’ employment and eliminating arbitrary quota systems, we are prioritizing the safety and rights of workers in our state,” said Steve Konopa, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 305 and Joint Council 37 Legislative Director. “I want to thank Governor Tina Kotek, House Speaker Dan Rayfield, Rep. Ricki Ruiz, and Senators Wlnsvey Campos, Chris Gorsek, James Manning, and Kathleen Taylor for their support in prioritizing this important piece of legislation.”

Nationwide, Teamsters are advocating for laws that protect the rights of warehouse workers and address unrealistic quotas and hazardous safety conditions. California, Connecticut, New York, Washington, Minnesota, and other states have passed similar legislation.

Teamsters Joint Council 37 represents workers in a wide variety of industries throughout Oregon. For more information, go to https://www.jcteamsters37.com/.