Business Groups Urge Legislators to Reject Reintroduced Warehouse Worker Protection Act

FEDA has joined other business advocacy groups in opposing the reintroduction of the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, a bill that would impose long-discarded and unworkable regulations on warehouse distribution facilities of all sizes.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), who has pushed for other versions of the bill in past years, submitted a new version to the Senate on July 31. A similar bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ) on Aug. 5. Both versions have received some bipartisan support and are under consideration by their respective chambers’ education committees.

The Warehouse Worker Protection Act would:

• Create new standards regarding quotas and workplace surveillance to micromanage the warehousing and the distribution industry
• Expand the federal government by creating a new Fairness and Transparency Office within the U.S. Department of Labor
• Resurrect the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) ergonomics standard, which was previously invalidated on a broad bipartisan basis using the Congressional Review Act
• Eliminate employer due process rights by forcing employers to abate “serious, willful or repeated” hazard citations before the employer can challenge the findings
• Tip the scales in favor of unions at the expense of employers and employees by inviting representatives of labor organizations and worker advocacy groups to assist the agency when conducting investigations

FEDA signed onto a letter with other business groups urging legislators to reject the bill because it “would only impede efficient operations without improving workplace safety.” Noting widespread opposition from employers, the letter warns that the new requirements would have serious consequences for the economy. “The bill would also establish a highly burdensome system to micromanage the warehousing and distribution industry, which would undermine the efficiency of this vital part of American supply chains,” it states.

The full letter is available here.