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Amazon fined $5.9M for breaking labor law in California

The company is among the first to run afoul of a union-backed law aimed at protecting warehouse workers from aggressive productivity quotas.

SAN FRANCISCO — California labor officials fined Amazon $5.9 million for violating a state law aimed at preventing warehouse workers from being pushed to work so quickly that their health and safety are at risk, according to citations issued in May. In Washington state, workplace safety regulators have repeatedly cited Amazon with “ willful” violations over ergonomic injuries that can lead to musculoskeletal disorders. The California law, known as AB 701, was sponsored by Lorena Gonzalez, who was a union official before becoming a State Assembly member and has since returned to labor advocacy.

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