Written by Joey Brasil
On Tuesday, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez proposed a bill targeting warehouse distribution centers.
Amazon, who is building a warehouse in her district, appears to be the main target. Gonzalez claims that workers at Amazon are injured more frequently than employees in other professions and that Amazon holds its employees to unreasonable standards.
“While corporations like Amazon are collecting record profits during the pandemic, employees in their warehouses are being expected to do more, go faster and work harder without clear safety standards,” Gonzalez alleged. “It’s unacceptable for one the largest and wealthiest employers in the country to put workers’ bodies and lives at risk just so we can get next-day delivery.”
Instead of appreciating the benefits that Amazon brings to the community, like thousands of jobs, she is trying to stunt them with regulations before their warehouse is even built. The warehouse is speculated to be completed by this summer and could bring up to 1,500 jobs to the area.
Gonzalez’s vendetta against the company isn’t a surprise though, considering her long history of attacking big businesses.
AB 5, a bill she authored, eliminated the ability for workers to work as independent contractors in the state. As a result, companies like Uber and Lyft nearly left California, claiming the new regulations were incompatible with their business model.
The only reason they stayed, along with all of the jobs they offer, is because Prop 22 was passed, which exempted them from the crippling regulations of AB 5. While this saved the jobs of thousands of rideshare and food delivery drivers, it did not save the other industries that were decimated by AB 5. Many San Diegans lost their livelihoods because of the bill, and Lorena Gonzalez didn’t bat an eye.
Gonzalez’s vendetta against big businesses doesn’t just hurt business, it also hurts all of the people who could’ve been employed by said businesses. Unemployment levels are at record highs because of the pandemic, and rather than making it easy for businesses to create jobs for the community, Gonzalez is putting up roadblocks in any way she can.
