War on the war......

Florida Republicans’ war on the war on heat

By CHRISTIAN ROBLES

Florida workers would not be able to count on shade breaks or water on hot days under a Republican proposal to block cities and counties from requiring those protections.

The effort comes as many states — particularly Florida — experience more extremely hot days as the climate warms, writes Adam Aton. Last year, at least two farm workers died in South Florida amid extreme heat, including a 28-year-old on his first day harvesting vegetables.

Miami-Dade County has since proposed mandating 10-minute breaks in the shade every two hours for construction and farm workers. But a bill that advanced in a Florida state House committee last week would prevent the county from imposing the mandate, with Republicans arguing such protections would harm the state’s economy.

Opponents of the bill say rising temperatures will only put more workers at risk of dying on the job.

An emotional Laura Munoz of the group Florida Student Power told lawmakers her father had died after working in the heat.

“He left every morning, and I watched him take his water and his ice — and he did everything he could to be able to go back home to us,” she said at a hearing last week. “The private market and private employers failed us. And I’m here to ask you, did my father not deserve better? Did I not deserve better? How much profit was worth his life?”

Bill supporters, however, contend that local heat regulations would make workers less safe by creating a multitude of rules that could confuse managers.

“Accidents are more likely to happen where there’s inconsistencies in regulations and uncertainty of expectations,” said Carol Bowen, a lobbyist for the Florida chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors.

The potential law is part of a nationwide battle between state and local governments over who should be allowed to issue workplace heat safety regulations.

A lack of federal heat regulations is partially responsible for the turmoil, with some cities and counties passing their own standards to fill the gap. Washington and Oregon have also passed statewide protections.

If the Florida bill is signed into law, then the state would join Texas in limiting local governments from issuing heat safety regulations.