Legislature(2023 - 2024)BARNES 124
03/29/2023 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE
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Audio | Topic |
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Start | |
Alcoholic Beverage Control Board | |
HB88 | |
HB126 | |
Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
*+ | HB 88 | TELECONFERENCED | |
*+ | HB 126 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+ | TELECONFERENCED | ||
+ | TELECONFERENCED | ||
HB 88-WAREHOUSE WORK QUOTA INFORMATION 3:18:06 PM CHAIR SUMNER announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 88, "An Act relating to work quotas for employees at warehouse distribution centers; and providing for an effective date." 3:18:36 PM REPRESENTATIVE GEORGE RAUSCHER, Alaska State Legislature, as prime sponsor, presented HB 88. He paraphrased the sponsor statement [copy included in the committee packet], which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: House Bill 88 Warehouse Worker Protection Act is designed to provide transparency for warehouse and logistic workers when they agree to a pay scale based on a quota or production goal. HB 88 is also designed to provide protections for workers against counterproductive methods employers miss the mark on, to speed up production and save on costs. Alaska is one of the most bountiful states in the country with its salmon runs, wild game, and natural resources. The abundance of the state is a blessing but there is still a need for supplies and goods to be imported, stored, and delivered. The workers who manage the logistics of these imports are the unsung heroes of Alaskan food security and supply chain. With over 90% of food coming from outside Alaska, these workers are the lifeline to keep the state operational. Warehouse and logistic workers face many challenges in the workplace, HB 88 will allow workers to focus on delivering goods and maintaining a healthy supply chain while also ensuring they are able to work in a safe environment where employers don't encourage speed over safety. 3:20:37 PM RYAN MCKEE, Staff, Representative George Rauscher, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Rauscher, prime sponsor, paraphrased the sectional analysis on HB 88 [copy included in the committee packet] which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: Sec 1. Amends AS 23.10 by adding new sections Article 9. Work Quotas at Warehouse Distribution centers. Section 23.10.700. - Specifies what types of employers the newly added sections AS 23.10.700- 23.10.725 apply to. Specifically, 100 or more employees at a single warehouse distribution center, or 1,000 or more employees at one or more warehouse distribution centers in the state. Section 23.10.705. - Specifies when an employer that is subject to AS 23.10.700 23.10.725 needs to provide a written description of each quota that applies to the employee. It further describes what needs to be included in that written quota description. Section 23.10.710. States what specifically an employer is not allowed to require in order for employees to meet quota expectations. Section 23.10.715. States that a current or former employee may request, orally or in writing a request for a quota description. And specifies what needs to be included in the request as well as a timeline for when an employee will receive the requested description. Section 23.10.720. States that an employee may seek an injunction in the superior court to enjoying an employer violating AS 23.10.700-23.10.715. Section 23.10.725. Provides definitions for terms listed in the above language. Sec 2. Sets an effective date of January 1st, 2025. MR. MCKEE added that the proposed legislation has a zero fiscal note. 3:22:55 PM PATRICK FITZGERALD, Political Coordinator, Alaska Teamsters Local 959, gave invited testimony in support of HB 88. He thanked the bill sponsor, staff, and the committee. He stated that the proposed legislation would create two protections for warehouse and logistics workers against predatory practices. He stated the first protection would be transparency for quota- based paid positions in warehouses. This would ensure notification of quota rates at the beginning of employment, and any changes thereafter. It would also create a mechanism for employees to request their work-speed data used to track progress. He stated that the bill would also add protections to reduce workplace accidents in quota-based jobs, such as allowing time for breaks and defining reasonable workloads. He stated that the proposed bill would protect those who work in the warehouses that store 95 percent of the food coming into the state. It would also conduct logistics for the materials needed to build and maintain these warehouses, ensuring rural Alaska is connected to a strong systematic supply of food, medicine, and other goods. He urged the committee to support the proposed legislation. 3:25:08 PM REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER pointed to the definition of "quota" in the proposed bill. He questioned the line between a quota and an employer's expectation of productivity. REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER answered that he had worked in a warehouse and expressed the understanding that quota means a certain amount of duties would be performed in a certain amount of time. 3:26:19 PM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX requested examples of problems the proposed legislation would address. REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER explained his personal experience working in a warehouse which made roofing shingles. He pointed out that there was a quota for moving packages onto a pallet in preparation for it to be loaded onto a truck which had a certain departure time. He described a situation where the temperature was extremely hot, but the workers were still required to meet the quota. He deferred to Mr. Fitzgerald for further examples. 3:28:12 PM MR. FITZGERALD responded that the legislation would provide transparency, and in relation to this he gave the example that as a young man he had no problems working in a warehouse which supplied snacks to service stations; however, another older individual, who had worked in warehouses before, had never been informed of quotas, and because of this, the individual missed the quotas daily. He stated that the proposed legislation would ensure against this. 3:29:41 PM REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE requested examples of warehouse distribution centers in Alaska with 100 or more employees. MR. FITZGERALD responded that Safeway, U.S. Foods, and the Odom Corporation each have over 100 workers in their warehouses. He stated that he could follow up with more information after the meeting. REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE questioned the reasoning for having a 100-employee limit, as the proposed legislation seems reasonable for a warehouse of any size. REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER responded that having a sizable number of workers would create a different scenario than a warehouse with one or two workers. He surmised that with larger quotas with larger employees, the numbers become more important than the people. 3:31:45 PM REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER questioned whether quotas would be negotiated in a contract. MR. FITZGERALD answered that this would depend on the contract and the bargaining unit. He pointed out that longshoremen would have this in order to allow the ships to leave the port at a scheduled time. He expressed the opinion that every contract could have this. 3:33:18 PM CHAIR SUMNER announced that HB 88 was held over.
Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
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HB126 Fiscal Note DCCED.pdf |
HL&C 3/29/2023 3:15:00 PM |
HB 126 |
HB126 Fiscal Note DOH 2.pdf |
HL&C 3/29/2023 3:15:00 PM |
HB 126 |
HB126 Fiscal Note DOH.pdf |
HL&C 3/29/2023 3:15:00 PM |
HB 126 |
HB0126A.PDF |
HL&C 3/29/2023 3:15:00 PM |
HB 126 |
HB 88 Sectional Analysis .pdf |
HL&C 3/29/2023 3:15:00 PM |
HB 88 |
HB 88 Fiscal Note.pdf |
HL&C 3/29/2023 3:15:00 PM |
HB 88 |
HB 88 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HL&C 3/29/2023 3:15:00 PM |
HB 88 |
HB0088A.PDF |
HL&C 3/29/2023 3:15:00 PM |
HB 88 |
HB 126 SECTIONAL ANALYSIS.docx |
HL&C 3/29/2023 3:15:00 PM |
HB 126 |
Associate Counselor Answers from the Board.pdf |
HL&C 3/29/2023 3:15:00 PM |
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States with Tiered Licensure HB126.png |
HL&C 3/29/2023 3:15:00 PM |
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HB 126- Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HL&C 3/29/2023 3:15:00 PM |
HB 126 |
HB126 Board of Professional Counselors Letter of Support.pdf |
HL&C 3/29/2023 3:15:00 PM |
HB 126 |