Senate Bill 967, described by sponsor Senator Carol Foy as a worker-safety and transparency measure for warehouse and distribution-center employees, drew extensive testimony from union representatives, warehouse employees and business groups. The bill would require written notice to employees about performance standards, allow workers to request productivity data collected about them, prohibit adverse actions for using a bathroom and create enforcement mechanisms and civil penalties for violations.

Proponents including Teamsters Local 322, labor and civil-rights groups and several trade unions argued the measure would protect nonunion workers from hidden quotas and speed-driven injury risk. Warehouse employees described a workplace expectation to meet speed metrics without clear publication of standards and said unionized workers have protections many nonunion workers lack. “Workers should be allowed to know how they're being measured and what they're being measured on and the expectations of them,” said a warehouse employee testifying for Local 322.

Opponents — including the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Maritime Association, Virginia Manufacturers Association, Virginia Retail Federation and Virginia Farm Bureau Federation — warned the bill would create regulatory uncertainty, diverge from federal standards (Fair Labor Standards Act and OSHA) and make Virginia less competitive for logistics businesses. The Chamber said the bill attempts a one-size-fits-all approach to metrics used across varying business models.

Committee discussion raised concerns about reach (the bill’s North American Industry Classification System codes could include manufacturers and other businesses) and potential fiscal or economic impacts. Proponents said the bill aimed at nonunionized facilities with anonymous metrics that drive unsafe speed and undermine worker well‑being. The committee ultimately voted against reporting SB 967 (Aye 6, Noes 8, 1 abstention).