Are they out of their minds?

• Last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that would *stop* local communities from adopting rules to protect workers from extreme heat.

• Last month, California financial regulators *blocked* safeguards that would protect indoor workers from extreme heat.

• And last year, Texas passed a law *banning* local rules that require water breaks for workers. Water breaks!

Denying workers access to water and protection from heat in three of the hottest states in the country is nothing short of inhumane.

Let’s talk about Florida for a moment.

It wasn’t that DeSantis declined to provide protections for workers in Florida, which itself would have been appalling. DeSantis actually signed a bill preventing cities and counties from adopting their own rules.

Big Ag and other employers are leveraging their political influence to block state rules to protect workers from dangerous heat.

It’s past time for the federal government to act.

Heat is estimated to cause some 170,000 injuries and 2,000 fatalities in American workplaces every year.

Black and Brown workers suffer disproportionately — especially in agriculture, where a majority of workers are immigrants.

And extreme indoor heat is critically elevated in the summer months — a danger for many people who work at places like warehouses, restaurants, bakeries, commercial laundries, and factories.

People who work in extreme heat deserve water and breaks and a place to cool off. That’s just basic decency and humanity.

Tell Congress:

Pass legislation immediately to protect America’s workers from heat-related illness, injury, and death by requiring employers to provide water, breaks, and a place to cool off.

Click to add your name now.

Thanks for taking action.

For progress,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen
 
 
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