News & Commentary July 28, 2023 law firm Outten & Golden unionize.

[Omaha Steve]

https://onlabor.org/july-28-2023/

By Swap Agrawal

Swap Agrawal is a student at Harvard Law School.

In today’s news and commentary, President Biden and Congressional Democrats act to protect workers from extreme heat; and associates at law firm Outten & Golden unionize.

On Thursday, President Biden announced new actions today to protect workers from extreme heat as historically high temperatures expose millions of people to serious danger. President Biden asked the Department of Labor (DOL) to issue its first-ever Hazard Alert for heat. Hazard Alerts are used by DOL to provide guidance to employers on how to comply with their legal obligations; they do not create new standards or legal obligations. DOL published a Hazard Alert the same day, reaffirming that employers have a duty to protect workers against heat. The Alert advised employers not to assign work in high heat conditions without protections such as adequate cool water, rest breaks, and shade or a cool rest area for employees. It also recommended that employers train employees on preventing, identifying, and treating heat illness. DOL said it is planning “enhanced enforcement actions” including inspections with a focus on locations and industries where high heat impacts vulnerable worker populations. The federal government also launched heat.gov, a new website for the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) with interactive maps, weather forecasts, and recommendations.

The White House fact sheet noted that more than 400 workers have died due to environmental heat exposure since 2011, and thousands more are hospitalized every year. Exposure to extreme heat can cause heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and cramps. The White House hopes its actions will better protect workers who labor outside in industries like agriculture or construction and are therefore particularly susceptible to severe illness or death from heat stress. “I don’t know why it took them so long to do this, but they need to act quicker because things are only getting worse,” said Yvette Cruz, a spokesperson for the Florida Farmworker Association. The Farmworker Association held a vigil last week for a 29-year-old man died while picking fruit on a South Florida farm on July 6. Another farmworker died of extreme heat on his first day of work in Parkland, Florida at the beginning of this year.

FULL story at link above.