comment: >
  
  Unless its funded any law or law for a law is rather toothless.
  Its how conservatives cripple agencies like the EPA without changing any laws, they just starve it of funding.
context: Ah, New York only, though. It would be nice to not be set up to fail and have my boss complaining because I couldn't meet an arbitrary quota set by someone in corporate that has never actually worked my position. >
  
  Can we stop posting articles behind a paywall
  
  ALBANY — Warehouse workers at delivery and courier firms including Amazon and UPS will have new protections against what activists say are unrealistic work quotas, thanks to a law signed last week by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
  The Warehouse Worker Protection Act covers manual warehouse employees including those at warehouses operated by courier and delivery services.
  The new law requires that warehouse companies provide their employees with documentation of their expected work quotas when they are hired, or when the law takes effect, which is two months from now.
  Employees must also be given copies of their quotas when changes are made. They also have the right to request their quota at any time, even after their employment ends.
  Additionally, the quotas, which set expectations, for instance, on how many packages must be moved or placed into shipping areas, cannot interfere with lunch, rest or bathroom breaks.
  The measure was sponsored by Queens Democratic state Sen. Jessica Ramos and Bronx Democratic Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner, who chair their conferences’ labor committees.
  It was spearheaded in part by New Yorkers for a Fair Economy, a coalition of unions including the Teamsters, which represents UPS employees; the Amazon Labor Union, which represents the Staten Island Amazon fulfillment center,; and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
  Amazon in recent years has been the target of complaints about what employees have said is a grueling work pace at its large warehouses and fulfillment centers. 
  In those facilities, employees spend their days moving packages ranging from microwaves to toilet paper packages to furniture and clothing from shelves or entry areas to packaging stations and then shipping spots where they are loaded onto trucks for delivery to customers.
  That’s led to a nascent push to unionize some of the facilities, although just one Amazon center, known as JFK8, in Staten Island, has been unionized so far.
  Workers at the fulfillment center in Schodack, known as ALB1, in October voted 406-206 against joining the union.
  Amazon Labor Union Vice President Derrick Palmer praised the new law, saying it was a boost to employees who may want to unionize.
  “This shows that we can and will protect our fellow essential workers,” Palmer said.
  “Teamster members have spent decades fighting for strong safety standards in the warehouse industry, but Amazon's growth is again putting workers in danger,” Thomas Gesualdi, President of Teamsters Joint Council 16, said.
  Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said the company doesn’t have fixed quotas. 
  “Instead, we assess performance based on safe and achievable expectations and take into account time and tenure, peer performance and adherence to safe work practices,” she said.
  “While we know we aren’t perfect, we are committed to continuous improvement when it comes to communicating with and listening to our employees and providing them with the resources they need to be successful."
  The company also allows employees to take short breaks at any time to use the restroom, grab water or a snack, step away from their screen, or speak to their coworkers, manager, human resources or others.
  Passage of the law was the second bit of good news the Teamsters have received in recent weeks.
  As well, 11,000 retired Teamsters, mostly truckers, last month learned that an earlier cut to their pension was being restored with money from President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, which was signed last year.
  rkarlin@timesunion.com • 518-454-5758 • @RickKarlinTU >
  
  Really makes me want to relocate to NY even more >
  
  Now let's have some laws protecting workers who assist in forming a union, or vote to form a union, or talk about forming a union, or distribute union material in or in front of their workplace, etc. >
  
  Such laws are in place, but enforcement is lacking. >
  
  Then, there should be laws establishing fall-back mechanisms for when those who are supposed to enforce fail to do so, whether through malice or otherwise.