State Senator Jessica Ramos has introduced legislation known as the Temp Extreme Mitigation Program, a bill aimed at protecting outdoor workers from the increasingly dangerous heat caused by climate change. The bill includes proposals such as requiring employers to provide their workers with drinkable water, 10-minute breaks in a cool room every two hours and protective equipment if the temperature climbs above 80 degrees. City Comptroller Brad Lander has also released a report detailing the facts about what 1.4 million people who work outdoors face – extreme heat due to rapidly rising temperatures. These include those in the construction, transportation, and installation and repair services, among others. Wildfires that produce the kind of smoke seen over the city in the summer of 2023 are also now a factor; UPS drivers, represented by the IBT, were fortunate enough to have air conditioning in the back of their trucks included in their latest contract, yet at that time had to scramble to hand out masks and protective equipment to co-workers.
Read the full story by Duncan Freeman for The Chief Leader, published here: https://thechiefleader.com/stories/comptroller-report-warns-of-worsening-weather-recommends-reform,53175
