Protesters shine a light reading “Amazon workers rising” on the retail giant’s fulfillment center in Shakopee during a worker rally for higher wages in December 2022. Photo by Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer.
Take a seat in the Break Room, our weekly round-up of labor news in Minnesota and beyond. This week: Amazon fined for violating new state labor laws; Minneapolis council uncommitted on police raises; Workers for large stone veneer company allege wage theft and racial discrimination; Minnesota offers free PPE to farmworkers as bird flu cases rise; Minneapolis Park and Rec Board faces looming strike; Kim’s restaurant workers vote to unionize; and jobs numbers.
Amazon fined $10,500 for labor violations
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry fined Amazon $10,500 for alleged worker safety hazards at its Shakopee distribution warehouse in violation of two new state laws, the agency announced on Thursday.
Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors visited the warehouse in October 2023. The Reformer reported likely violations at the time, and inspectors found that Amazon did not protect workers from ergonomic hazards while picking, packaging and shipping products.