To establish protections for warehouse workers, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill creates new federal protections for warehouse workers who are subject to productivity quotas and workplace surveillance. It requires large warehouse employers (200+ employees) to provide written disclosure of all quotas, performance metrics, and surveillance technologies used to monitor workers. Workers gain the right to access their own performance data and challenge inaccurate records.
Who Benefits and How
Warehouse workers at large distribution centers gain significant protections: mandatory disclosure of quotas and how they're calculated, guaranteed 15-minute rest breaks every 4 hours, protection from quotas that prevent bathroom breaks, and the right to file complaints without retaliation. Labor unions and worker advocacy organizations gain formal roles in enforcement and workplace inspections. Workers can bring private lawsuits with penalties up to $769,870 per willful violation.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Large warehouse operators (Amazon, Walmart distribution, etc.) face substantial new compliance requirements: written quota disclosures, data retention for 3+ years, mandatory rest breaks, and restrictions on how quotas can be structured. They face penalties up to $76,987 per violation (or $769,870 for willful/repeat violations). The Department of Labor must establish a new Fairness and Transparency Office to administer the program.
Key Provisions
- Prohibits quotas that prevent bathroom breaks, meal periods, or compliance with health/safety laws
- Requires employers to provide 15-minute paid rest breaks every 4 hours
- Gives workers right to access and correct their work speed data
- Allows private lawsuits with damages and penalties, class actions facilitated
- Triggers mandatory DOL investigations when injury rates are 1.5x industry average
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Establishes comprehensive protections for warehouse workers subject to performance quotas, including transparency requirements, data access rights, mandatory rest breaks, and anti-retaliation provisions
Key Policy Areas
Labor, Worker Rights, Privacy, Workplace Safety
Primary Purpose
Establishes comprehensive protections for warehouse workers subject to performance quotas, including transparency requirements, data access rights, mandatory rest breaks, and anti-retaliation provisions
Policy Domains
Title I - Warehouse Worker Protections
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Warehouse workers subject to quotas
- Labor unions
- Worker advocacy organizations
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Large warehouse operators (200+ employees)
- E-commerce fulfillment centers
- Department of Labor
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Casey, Ms. Smith, Mr. Hawley, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Covered warehouse employers, Large warehouse operators, Large warehouse operators (200+ employees)
Positive-direction: Warehouse workers, Warehouse workers at risk of musculoskeletal disorders, Warehouse workers subject to productivity quotas
Negative-direction: Large warehouse operators, Large warehouse operators (200+ employees), Warehouse employers, Warehousing and storage facilities (NAICS 493)
Congress, Department of Labor, Department of Labor agencies
Department of Labor faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Congress
Negative-direction: Department of Labor agencies, Federal Trade Commission, National Labor Relations Board
Labor unions, Labor unions and worker advocacy organizations, Unionized warehouse workers
E-commerce and mail-order fulfillment (NAICS 454110), E-commerce fulfillment centers
Employers with OSHA violations, Workers at facilities with safety violations
Positive-direction: Workers at facilities with safety violations
Negative-direction: Employers with OSHA violations
Courier and express delivery services (NAICS 492110)
Ergonomics consultants and equipment providers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_director"
- → Director of Fairness and Transparency Office
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Labor
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Warehouse distribution center under NAICS codes 493 (warehousing), 423/424 (merchant wholesalers), 454110 (e-commerce/mail-order), or 492110 (couriers/express delivery)
Employer engaged in commerce that employs more than 200 employees total for work at all covered facilities, including contractors, staffing agencies, and affiliates
Express or implied performance standard or target where employees are assigned/required to perform quantified tasks or handle materials at specified rates within defined time periods
Any employer surveillance including monitoring, collection, or retention of data concerning employee activities through computers, cameras, sensors, wearables, or other devices
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology