Alaska Gov. Dunleavy vetoes work quota rules for Amazon-like warehouses

Rep. George Rauscher, R-Sutton, speaks during a convention of nan Alaska House of Representatives connected Sunday, May 12, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has vetoed a measure that would person required nan operators of ample warehouses to supply their labor pinch a written activity quota and would person forbidden them from instituting quotas that are truthful precocious that an worker would deficiency clip to usage nan bathroom.

The Alaska Legislature passed House Bill 88 this twelvemonth pinch bipartisan support.

Rep. George Rauscher, R-Sutton, wrote nan measure and said successful April that it was a matter of fairness and transparency for workers. He had worked successful a warehouse, he said, and nan rumor was individual to him.

Dunleavy vetoed nan measure Aug. 29, but the veto message wasn’t published until this week. 

In nan message, Dunleavy said he vetoed HB 88 “because it creates excessive regularisation of authorities businesses, thereby thwarting business improvement and economical opportunities successful Alaska.”

Through a spokesperson, nan governor’s agency declined further comment.

HB 88 would person been constricted to warehouses that employment 100 aliases much people, and location are only a fistful successful nan state, but nan number is growing, peculiarly successful nan vicinity of Anchorage Ted Stevens International Airport, 1 of nan world’s busiest aerial cargo terminals. 

Also this year, Amazon Inc. opened a storage facility with much than 100 group successful Anchorage to service nan company’s e-commerce business successful Alaska. 

That institution has antecedently been criticized for mounting activity quotas truthful precocious that labor felt forced to spell to nan bath successful bottles. The institution has since revised those quotas. 

By telephone connected Thursday, Rauscher seemed resigned to Dunleavy’s decision.

“The politician tin do what he wants, right?” Rauscher said. “I conjecture I person to find retired if there’s different measurement to make thing akin happen. I deliberation that’s what you do pinch immoderate measure that doesn’t make it.”

The Alaska Legislature could activity to override nan veto of HB 88 and different bills if they telephone a typical session, but Rauscher and aggregate different lawmakers opportunity they don’t judge there’s an appetite to do that.

The veto was Dunleavy’s seventh for a argumentation measure successful 2024 and 12th since being elected successful 2018. He has since signed 2 different vetoes, for a full of 14 during his 2 position successful office. Those figures do not see his yearly fund vetoes.

Since Dunleavy took office, legislators person ne'er overridden 1 of his vetoes. 

In a written statement published connected societal media Thursday, Teamsters Local 959 said it was disappointed by nan governor’s veto.

The union, 1 of nan state’s largest, said it will proceed to advocator for workers’ rights.