Fla GOP Passes 'Cruel' Bill Curbing Water, Shade Protections - 2 Mill Outdoor Workers, Extreme Heat

- Florida passes ‘cruel’ bill curbing water and shade protections for workers,' The Guardian, March 8, 2024. - Industry pressure

The Florida legislature passed a bill on Friday that prevents any city, county, or municipality in the state from adopting legislation aimed to protect outdoor workers from extreme heat, prompting many to call out lawmakers for being “cruel” to the “most vulnerable workers”.

Efforts to ensure potentially life-saving water breaks, rest and shade for construction and agriculture workers have failed largely due to industry pressure, a growing trend across south-western states, where heat related deaths are on the rise. At present, there are no federal standards to protect outdoor workers in the US from heat and humidity – which can be deadly and is getting worse due to global heating. Protections therefore vary greatly from state to state.

The newly passed legislation will affect roughly 2 million outdoor workers across the state and render existing local protections “void and prohibited” from 1 July. “This legislation is cruel,” said Oscar Londoño, executive director of worker advocacy WeCount!, which has been pushing for a Miami-Dade heat ordinance. “It’s a bad faith attempt to keep labor conditions very low for some of the most vulnerable workers.”

Miami-Dade county has an estimated 300,000 outdoor workers, more than any other county in Florida. Londoño added: “Every single year, it’s going to get hotter and hotter. Many more workers’ lives are going to be at risk. We will see fatalities, because of what Florida Republicans chose to do this week.”...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/08/florida-bill-extreme-heat-worker-protection