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Teamsters, warehouse workers and unions urge committee to pass quotas and heat-safety bills
Summary
Union leaders, warehouse employees and labor advocates told the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development that bills to limit secret quotas and to require employer protections from extreme temperatures are needed to curb injuries and heat- and cold-related illness in Massachusetts warehouses and distribution centers.
A coalition of Teamsters representatives, current and former warehouse employees, and public-health advocates testified June 18 before the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development in favor of bills that would curb secret productivity quotas and require employers to protect workers from extreme heat and cold.
The bills discussed most often were House 2103 (warehouse quota protections) and House 3995 (protections from extreme temperatures), and their Senate counterparts (Senate 1307 and Senate 1355). Teamsters Local 25 President Thomas Murray told the committee the bills would “allow employees to require their work speed data” and shield workers from retaliation for requesting that information.
Why it matters: Witnesses said the largest warehousing and logistics employers operate monitoring systems and quota regimes that drive unsafe speed and can deter workers from taking breaks or seeking medical care. Several witnesses described indoor temperatures that reached levels that caused heat illness, limited or delayed access to water and cooling, and insufficient protective clothing or equipment in cold-storage areas.
Most-watched points from testimony - Thomas Murray, president of Teamsters Local 25 and secretary-treasurer of Joint Council 10, said data- and quota-related discipline produced unusually high injury rates and urged the committee to “release House 2103 in 17 in Senate 71307, an act of protecting warehouse workers, and House 3995 in 7 Senate 13 55, an act of protecting workers from extreme temperature, out of committee with a favorable report.” - Current and former employees described extreme indoor conditions: Sal (Steve) Valente, a UPS shop steward, said trailers heated in the yard reached “roughly 120 degrees plus” on hot days and that the company prioritized production over breaks and ventilation. Former Amazon worker Maximus Cardone told the committee internal warehouse temperatures sometimes reached “around a 120 degrees.” - Witnesses sought specific protections in the heat bill including paid rest breaks, access to drinking water, shade and cooling or warming stations, personal protective equipment, and training for supervisors to recognize signs of heat-related illness.
Supporting details: Several speakers referenced research and enforcement actions in other states. Murray cited fines and enforcement in California and recent bills in Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island and Connecticut as precedents for similar protections. Witnesses said employers sometimes require workers to buy their own PPE (testifiers described small annual stipends of $100–$300 for shoes or cold-weather clothing) and that those amounts are insufficient when items are single-use or get soaked and must be replaced frequently.
Discussion vs. decision: The committee heard extensive testimony but did not vote on any bill during the hearing. Multiple speakers asked the committee to report the bills favorably; no formal committee actions were recorded at the hearing.
Ending: Committee members did not announce a schedule for a committee vote during the hearing. Supporters asked the panel to advance the bills so that the Legislature can align Massachusetts with other states that have enacted warehouse- and heat-safety protections.
