Amazon Fights States on Defining Quotas in Warehouse Safety Laws

Amazon.com Inc.’s famously fast-paced delivery model has encountered increasing scrutiny from lawmakers who say its work-speed quotas worsen the injury-prone nature of warehouse jobs, yet even after being fined by two states the ecommerce giant’s response has remained: What quotas?

Five states so far have enacted limits on large warehouse operators’ use of employee performance mandates that the states define as quotas. But Amazon—the primary target of these laws’ supporters—says it evaluates warehouse workers based on comparisons with their peers and flexible expectations that factor in tenure and safety considerations, not quotas.

The laws require that companies clearly disclose expected ...