A Fight for Workers' Safety in Albany

At a time when the Trump Administration is threatening worker protections across the country, warehouse and delivery workers for companies like Amazon are demanding better safety rules in New York State.

In February, President Donald Trump fired a member of the National Labor Relations Board, leaving the federal agency below the minimum requirement to function. Congress created the NLRB to conduct union elections and investigate unfair labor practices, and it has been operating for 89 years.

The president, the next month, signed an executive order rescinding union rights for federal workers.

Trump’s actions leave many workers feeling unsupported and concerned for their safety.

“Unfortunately, we know that we have a president who has completely abandoned workers. We have a true anti-worker administration,” said Theodore Moore, a labor advocate and the executive director of ALIGN.

Moore added that it is up to the state to protect workers. Before the end of the legislative session, advocates and lawmakers are hoping to pass a bill known as the TEMP Act, which would strengthen regulations for all indoor and outdoor worksites.

Charlene Obernauer, executive director of NYCOSH and founder of the TEMP Coalition, said workers deserve a healthy workplace environment.

“The Trump administration is not going to save anybody. The Trump administration isn’t going to do the bare minimum, so here in a blue state, we need to say that workers matter,” she said.

Jeffrey Arias, an Amazon driver and a member of the Teamsters Union, said on hot summer days, the back of his Amazon van feels like a microwave.

“It just bakes in the sun, and I am back there searching for a package. It’s hard to breathe, I start feeling dizzy, I feel like I’m going to pass out,” he said. “I am cramping up in my legs, my side, my feet, my back. I’ve even vomited from heat exhaustion.”

Arias said Amazon won’t change their demands based on the heat, meaning even if he takes an extra break on extremely hot days, he still has to meet the same quota.

“I have to work even harder to catch up because Amazon will not allow you to prioritize your health over getting every single package delivered. No matter the cost, they want every single package delivered,” he said.

Arias said workers need lawmakers to stand with them, fight for their safety, and hold companies like Amazon accountable.

A spokesperson from Amazon told WMHT in a statement that keeping employees safe is their top priority. They also said Amazon’s fixed quotas are a misperception.

“Like any business, we have performance expectations for all of our teams, but these expectations are based on multiple factors, including the performance of the entire team, site-wide,” said Amazon spokesperson August Green.

Advocate Lucas Shapiro, the deputy director of ALIGN, reacted, saying that Amazon likes to claim they don’t have quotas, but it’s untrue.

“They pit warehouse workers against each other and penalize them when they don't work fast enough. Call that whatever you want, but it's abusive and dangerous, and it's the tip of the iceberg when it comes to their warehouse hazards,” he said. “The injury stats speak for themselves: Amazon's business model is profit over safety, and if they really wanted to change that, they would welcome new safety regulations and give workers a voice on the job."

Green stated Amazon has made and continues to make meaningful progress on safety, improving its recordable incident rate by 31 percent over the past five years and the most serious injuries by 76 percent over that same time period in the U.S.

A recent 2025 report by the Strategic Organizing Center argues Amazon’s data is inaccurate and misleading.

The report showed that Amazon’s injury rate remains alarmingly high, stating that injury rates were 80 percent above their goals in 2024 alone.

The TEMP Act is on its second try in Albany, beginning its legislative journey last year. The bill was stalled in committees and didn’t make it to the floor for a vote.

This year, the legislation made it out of the Senate labor committee but has yet to see a floor vote. State Sen. Jessica Ramos, a Democrat representing parts of Queens and the chair of the labor committee, said she’s hopeful she can work with her colleagues to bring the bill across the finish line.

“It’s really a glimmer of hope that in the remaining weeks of this year's legislative session, we are actively working towards a safer New York for workers,” said Ramos.

Some Republicans across the aisle, however, don’t support the legislation. State Sen. George Borrello, a Republican representing parts of the Finger Lakes, told WMHT he has concerns with the legislation’s impact on the agriculture industry.

“You cannot control 80-degree days or 50-degree days out on a farm. And the fact that a simple amendment was not made to exempt agriculture from this is just absolutely ridiculous,” he said.

Borrello went on to say he feels the legislation is a “solution in search of a problem.”

Sen. Ramos responded, saying, “Republicans are in the minority for good reason.”

Ramos added she hopes the Assembly can put in the same effort to get the bill passed. Assembly Member Harry Bronson, a Democrat representing parts of Rochester and the Assembly labor chair, said he plans to work to get the bill passed in the House chamber.

At a recent press conference, Bronson highlighted the story of a Rochester resident who died from heat exhaustion at his job site.

“That’s what this bill is about– is to prevent those kinds of things from happening,” he said.

Advocates and lawmakers are also pushing for the proper implementation of the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act that was signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul in December.

Some advocates are beginning to worry, not yet hearing from the New York State Department of Labor about the rules and education training required for the bill ahead of the June 1 implementation date.

Sen. Ramos told WMHT she has had ample conversations with Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon about the concerning conditions at Amazon warehouses.

She added that she has refreshed her conversations with Commissioner Reardon ahead of the rollout date.

“The DOL commissioner is currently meeting with advocates and stakeholders to iron out the implementation of the Injury Reduction Act. We have faith that it will be done on time and well," she said.

In a statement to WMHT, a spokesperson from the Department of Labor said that ensuring the safety of all New Yorkers, including the workforce that drives the state's economy, remains a top priority.

They stated that their website includes information for employers about the injury reduction program training requirements.

With only about two weeks left of the legislative year, it is unclear at this point whether the Temp Act can pass through both chambers and cross the finish line.

Editor's note: Following the original publication of this article, Amazon has reached out to provide a statement to WMHT. 

From August Green, Amazon Spokesperson: “The SOC continues to mislead readers by cherry picking data and making up a metric that doesn't exist. The facts are that we’ve made a 34% improvement in our Recordable Incident Rate and a 65% improvement to our Lost Time Incident Rate over the last five years. Our goal is to be the safest employer in our respective industries, and we’re working hard to achieve that because nothing’s more important than our employees’ health and safety. In 2025, we’ve allocated hundreds of millions of dollars, on top of the more than $2 billion we’ve invested over the past five years, to invest in technologies, resources, training, and programs to further our safety efforts. The best way to understand the facts is to read our latest safety report."