This is the issue laborers in California 鈥� and in other states 鈥� have dealt with amid weeks of high temperatures. In Sacramento, over-100 degree temperatures , a phenomenon experienced in .
Samuel Sandoval, an expert on water resources with UC Davis, frequently provides assistance to farmworkers, including during recent high temperature-days. He said the pressure to keep working leaves outdoor laborers at a higher risk for heat stroke and other illnesses.
鈥淭hey may want to force themselves to work to get some extra dollars but at the same time, [they鈥檙e] putting their life at risk,鈥� he said.
In response to the recent heat across the country, Congressional Legislators introduced a bill requiring protections for laborers during extreme heat. The bill, dubbed the , is named after a California farmworker who died in 2004 due to a heatstroke. The heatstroke occurred after Valdivia worked for 10 hours straight in over 100-degree temperatures. Since then, advocates have said his story is an example of a preventable death, had more protections been in place.
If adopted, the bill would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, to establish measures protecting outdoor and indoor laborers during extreme heat. Protections described in the legislation include access to water and paid breaks in cool spaces.
California Senator Alex Padilla is one of the legislators who introduced the bill.
鈥淭he problems of extreme heat are only getting worse as climate change is getting worse,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd so the protections that are overdue are urgently needed across the country.鈥�
While farmworkers are often the first image that comes to mind with this issue, Padilla said heat issues impact other sectors as well.
鈥淚t's not just the workers in the fields,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t's workers in delivery, workers in warehouses and manufacturing plants and workers on construction sites.鈥�
Padilla said California already has heat-related protections for laborers. In California, employers are required to offer breaks in shaded areas once temperatures exceed 80 degrees.
But Sandoval said this doesn鈥檛 fix the issue for many laborers. Imagine, he said, working in extreme heat for hours on end. Often, a break just doesn鈥檛 cut it.
鈥淲hen [temperatures] are above 95, above 100, it鈥檚 just almost impossible,鈥� Sandoval said.
He added that many laborers are forced to work fewer hours if extreme weather, like intense heat or smoky skies, prevent them from doing so altogether. They often don鈥檛 have the luxury of a back up plan.
鈥淲e have insurance, crop insurance, to pay a farmer,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e don't have health risk insurance to pay a farm worker.鈥�
Sandoval said one solution involves offering financial aid to farmworkers when extreme heat makes it impossible to do their work safely. He said many employers often argue against this suggestion and say it鈥檚 鈥渆conomically impossible.鈥�
But Sandoval said in the country鈥檚 past, similar arguments were made against child labor laws and requirements for overtime pay. Despite the concerns, the country has still successfully progressed in those directions 鈥� so why not here, he asked.
鈥淲e should take care of our families, of all the Californians, the ones that are more at risk [because] of their health and of their low income,鈥� he said.
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