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February 12, 2025

Lawmakers to debate bills on warehouse quota restrictions, unemployment benefits for striking workers

HBJ PHOTO | DAVID KRECHEVSKY The State Capitol in Hartford.
By David Krechevsky

The state legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee will convene a public hearing on Thursday on seven proposed bills, including two controversial measures opposed by the business community.

The first is Senate Bill 8, which has 44 co-sponsors — all Democrats — and would regulate the use of production quotas for warehouse workers. 

A related bill, House Bill 6907, is also on the hearing’s agenda.

The concept has been raised during the past two legislative sessions, targeting e-commerce giant Amazon, but failed to be approved in either one.

Several states, including California, Minnesota, New York, Oregon and Washington, have approved similar legislation.

Another bill, H.B. 6904, proposes to allow striking workers involved in a labor dispute of at least 14 consecutive days to be eligible for unemployment benefits.

Both this bill and the warehouse quotas bill have been cited by Senate Democrats as priority bills for the current legislative session.

Opponents, however, say the warehouse bill could deter such businesses from locating facilities in the state, and that taxpayers should not be forced to support workers embroiled in a private labor dispute.

Four other bills are also on the agenda for the public hearing. They include: 

  • S.B. 1274: Requires the state labor commissioner to conduct a study on working conditions in the state.
  • S.B. 1275: Requires labor commissioner to conduct a study of the rights of employees in the state.
  • H.B. 6905: Requires the Workers' Compensation Commission to study the workers' compensation system in the state, and
  • H.B. 6906: Requires the labor commissioner to conduct a study of the state Department of Labor.

The committee’s public hearing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Thursday in Room 1B of the Legislative Office Building. 

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