Bill
S 1307
Requires employers to disclose warehouse quotas and preserve work-speed data; bans quotas that block meals/rest or restroom access, protecting nonexempt warehouse workers.
Note on source documents
- The bill number provided (S.1307) is labeled at the top as “An Act protecting warehouse workers” and the text shown addresses warehouse-worker quota monitoring and records. (The initial short title line in your prompt — “Establishes a tax credit for the adoption of a dog or cat” — appears to be unrelated to the bill text supplied. This summary treats the actual bill text about warehouse workers as the authoritative material.)
Summary: purpose and intent
- Purpose: Increase transparency and limit abusive quota/monitoring practices in warehouse distribution centers by (1) defining key terms (quota, employee work speed data, warehouse distribution center), (2) requiring employers to disclose quotas and preserve records of individual and aggregated work-speed data, and (3) prohibiting quota enforcement that prevents compliance with meal/rest breaks or bathroom access.
- Intent: Protect nonexempt, non-administrative warehouse employees from unfair speed/production quotas, ensure employees and regulators can access the data used to evaluate them, and hold employers (including third-party staffing and controlled corporate groups) accountable.
Key definitions and scope
- “Employee”: nonexempt, non-administrative workers at a warehouse distribution center who are subject to a quota.
- “Employer”: entities that directly or indirectly control wages/hours/working conditions and that employ either (a) 100+ employees at a single warehouse distribution center, or (b) 500+ employees across one or more warehouse distribution centers in the state. The definition covers direct, indirect, staffing agencies, third-party employers, and controlled-group members (with a modified controlled-group test).
- “Quota”: a productivity standard measured by speed, number of tasks, material handled/produced within a defined time period, or categorization of time as performing/not performing tasks where failure can adversely affect employment.
- “Employee work speed data” and “aggregated data” are defined; “warehouse distribution center” is tied to specific NAICS codes (e.g., warehousing & storage; merchant wholesalers; electronic shopping; couriers/express delivery).
Major provisions
- Quota disclosure: Employers must provide each employee, at hire or within 30 days of the law’s effective date, a written description of each quota (quantified tasks/materials, defined time period, and potential adverse actions for failure). Updated quota descriptions must be provided within two business days of any quota change. When an adverse action is taken, the employer must provide the applicable quota to the affected employee.
- Limits on quotas: Employers cannot require employees to meet quotas that prevent compliance with meal/rest periods or use of bathroom facilities (including reasonable travel time). Employers may not discipline employees for failing quotas that interfere with these basic rights or that were not timely disclosed.
- Breaks: Paid and unpaid breaks are not to be considered productive time for quota purposes unless an employee is required to remain on call.
- Recordkeeping: Employers must maintain contemporaneous, accurate records of (a) each employee’s personal work speed data, (b) aggregated work speed data for similar employees, and (c) the written quota descriptions provided to employees. These records must be kept for the duration of employment and made available to the commissioner (text truncated in provided excerpt).
Who would be affected
- Covered employees: Nonexempt, non-administrative warehouse workers subject to quotas.
- Covered employers: Large warehouse operators and employers meeting the 100/500-employee thresholds, including staffing agencies and employers within controlled corporate groups. Affects businesses classified under specified NAICS codes (warehousing/storage, merchant wholesalers, e-commerce/mail-order, couriers/express).
- Regulators: State labor/commissioner’s office (record access + enforcement implied).
Procedural status and timeline (as provided)
- Introduced in Senate: 2025-04-04 (read twice, referred to Committee on the Judiciary).
- Referred to Budget and Revenue: 2025-01-09 (record shows multiple referrals—document contains inconsistent dates).
- Referred to Labor and Workforce Development: 2025-02-27 (House concurred same day per supplied actions).
- Hearing scheduled: 06/18/2025, 1:00–4:00 PM in B-1 (per listed calendar).
- Status line at top: “REFERRED TO BUDGET AND REVENUE.” (Legislative-action entries in the supplied file are inconsistent; check official legislative website for the current status.)
Potential impacts and considerations
- Workers: Greater transparency about performance expectations; protection from quotas that force skipping breaks or restroom use.
- Employers: Additional administrative burdens and recordkeeping costs; need to update policies, train supervisors, and ensure prompt written notices when quotas change; potential liability exposure for undisclosed or unlawful quotas.
- Enforcement: The bill contemplates commissioner access to records (enforcement details and penalties are truncated in the excerpt provided — the full text may specify enforcement mechanisms, penalties, or private right of action).
Notes and recommended next steps
- The provided bill text is truncated; full bill may include additional sections (e.g., enforcement, penalties, data retention periods beyond employment, confidentiality limits, employee access rights, timeline for implementation).
- Because the supplied metadata contains inconsistent sponsor and title information, consult the official Massachusetts legislative website (Senate docket No. 1011 / S.1307) for the complete and current bill text, amendments, and official status before taking action or relying on this summary.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
Sign in to ask a question.
