skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Harris warns a lack of checks on Trump administration could lead to a "constitutional crisis"; Report: NYS faces high risk of PFAS in drinking water; Mississippi rape kit tests reveal serial offender patterns as backlog persists; Lack of affordable child care costs Colorado $2.7 billion annually.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Trump acknowledges the consumer toll of his tariffs on Chinese goods. Labor groups protest administration policies on May Day, and U.S. House votes to repeal a waiver letting California ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural students who face hurdles going to college are getting noticed, Native Alaskans may want to live off the land but obstacles like climate change loom large, and the Cherokee language is being preserved by kids in North Carolina.

MN Warehouse Workers: Unsafe at Any Speed?

play audio
Play

Tuesday, January 17, 2023   

Consumer demand for delivery companies like Amazon is not going away. But some people in Minnesota want more protections for workers filling orders on tight deadlines. The National Employment Law Project has reported the injury rate for Amazon warehouse workers in Minnesota is nearly two times greater than those working at similar facilities for other industries.

Khali Jama, an Amazon Fulfilment Center employee recently testified before a Minnesota House committee of a demanding environment that gives employees little room to work at a safe pace.

"Most of the injuries come from the speed - if you're not on a certain speed, the manager will come and talk to you. If you're still not on that speed that they want you to be, they'll come and talk to the second time," Jama said. "The third time you get [a] write-up and you're fired through an app."

Jama added English is not the primary language for many workers who may not be aware of their rights. The committee passed a bill setting safety requirements for warehouses, including preventing production quotas that interfere with meal and bathroom breaks. Over the past year, Amazon has acknowledged these concerns but insists most workers express satisfaction with jobs that offer competitive starting pay and health benefits.

Rep. Joe McDonald, R-Delano, said it's clear Amazon is not doing enough to protect its warehouse employees, but questioned whether legislation is needed.

"It's been over a year now since we've heard this bill," McDonald said. "The same concerns from those who are treated not very respectfully at one particular company when this particular bill could really affect hundreds of companies that are treating their employees like human beings."

He suggested a current law still allows key agencies to crack down on violators. But bill sponsors have said OSHA standards dealing with specific industries have not been updated in 15 years. They added the bill would give the Department of Labor Industry power to investigate violators. Scrutiny would center on warehouses that have an injury rate 30% higher than the industry average.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
In 2023, nearly 18% of U.S. households with children faced food insecurity, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Lauren Cohen / Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi reporting for the Kent State NewsLab-Ohio News Connection Collaboration. S.B. 109, a bill that …


Social Issues

play sound

An Illinois law professor is weighing in on what she called a "very public and open test of due process" for immigrants being deported from the United…

Health and Wellness

play sound

New data show a 27% increase in rape kit testing across Mississippi since the state implemented a 2023 law requiring all new sexual assault evidence t…


Families in Colorado and across the nation spend up to 60% of their income on child care, the equivalent of a second mortgage or rent payment. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The lack of quality child care for infants and toddlers costs Colorado nearly $3 billion each year in lost earnings, productivity and revenue but an …

Environment

play sound

By Seth Millstein for Sentient.Broadcast version by Danielle Smith for Tennessee News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collabora…

Mexican Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegue said 90% of the tomatoes exported by Mexico go to the United States. (Pixabay)

Environment

play sound

The Florida tomato industry is stepping into uncharted territory following the termination of a decades old trade agreement with Mexico, marking what …

Environment

play sound

When consumers buy a meat product, they might like the idea it came from a local farm or ranch. But experts say there are still logjams in regional …

Environment

play sound

The unmistakable smell of hamburgers or steak on outdoor grills will soon be making its way through Minnesota neighborhoods and with the weather warmi…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021