As Texas sweltered under a week-long record heat wave last month, the state passed a law that will eliminate mandatory water breaks for construction workers in cities where such ordinances had been put in place to protect people. from extreme heat.
Now, the reaction is brewing.
Bill 2127 it was passed by the state Legislature and was swiftly signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 14. The bill, which takes effect in September, strips construction workers in Austin and Dallas of the right to four-hour water breaks and time to rest in the shade while on the job.
The new law comes as Texas endured three straight weeks of high humidity and triple-digit temperatures in June. Such intense and long-lasting heat waves are expected to become more common in a warming world, climate scientists said.
Reaction to the legislation is mounting. Earlier this week, the city of Houston filed a lawsuit seeking to block the state law and declare it “unconstitutional.”
The measure has been dubbed the “Death Star” bill because it generally preempts legislation at the local government level if it conflicts with state law. The bill covers eight areas of government, including labor, business and agriculture, overriding local ordinances that are already in place and preventing local governments from passing new ones if they conflict with or deviate from state regulations.
The legislation is intended to address “a patchwork of regulations that are applied inconsistently throughout this state.”
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a statement that the law undermines the “ability to govern at the level closest to the people”.
“Houston will fight for its residents to retain their constitutional rights and have immediate local recourse to government,” Turner said in the statement.
Ana González, deputy director of politics and policy for the Texas AFL-CIO, a labor federation of 240,000 union members in the state, said the bill “attacks local democracy,” adding that it will have “a huge impact and many unintended consequences.” desired for the way we govern locally.”
Beyond the political implications, the removal of guaranteed water breaks could create dangerous working conditions for construction workers during heat waves. Extreme heat events have been associated with increases in cardiovascular, respiratory, and kidney disease, and heat causes more deaths in the US each year than any other weather event. according to the National Weather Service.
Last month’s heat wave caused at least 13 deaths in Texas, according to health officials. A 46-year-old construction worker in the Houston area also died June 16 after collapsing while working in extreme heat. as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
“This is an emergency,” González said. “Texas is the deadliest state when it comes to construction, with a worker dying every three days in our state.”
In Austin, a local ordinance was passed in 2010 that guarantees outdoor workers a break of at least 10 minutes every four hours to rest and hydrate. Dallas followed suit in 2015 with a similar ordinance.
González said eliminating mandatory water breaks under House Bill 2127 “creates a floor for employers” and sets a troubling new standard.
“This law is not only inhumane, but it is also very dangerous,” he said.
