Marble Falls       Facebook showed me a picture from seven years ago on this date, in the way they do, when we were moving our post-Katrina, Airstream “land yacht” from Rock Creek, Wyoming, to Manderson, Wyoming, going south.  I’m not there now, but in the Ozarks.  My computer tells me it’s already 85 degrees before 9am in New Orleans, and it’s 69 degrees Fahrenheit here.  It’s a gift to be able to catch a break and work where it’s cooler in the dog days.

A lot of our members, like garbage workers in New Orleans and public works in Little Rock, don’t have that option, even as climate change has pushed the temperatures higher.  Under President Biden, OSHA had proposed a rule that recognized this reality by providing more breaks and action by employers at an 80-degree trigger and a 90-degree benchmark.  Just as Trump was being inaugurated, the public comment period was starting to close in the process of finalizing this new and updated OSHA heat rule.

Right now, it’s in limbo.  It’s not dead, but it’s on life support.  The administration has frozen all new rules for so-called “review” and “evaluation.”  OSHA has continued to move forward by holding hearings, and the administration has made no final determination on the status of this rule.  No one knows whether it will go into effect or will be withdrawn.  This is an opportunity to reach out to elected officials to try to bring it to life.  I can’t say what the odds are.

Following the recent actions in July to Beat the Heat, Local 100 has joined with A Community Voice, ACORN’s affiliate in Louisiana, to promote heat protect for contract workers there.  Councilman Oliver Thomas as drafted proposed language that in this section that reads:

(a)   Every contractor, vendor, or supplier that is a party to a contract, professional services agreement, cooperative endeavor agreement, or grant agreement with the city shall protect its employees from the hazards of extreme heat with regular rest breaks in an area protected from direct sunlight.  Such protection shall include at a minimum one 10-minute rest break, or one 15-minute rest break, for every two hours spent working outdoors or in an un-airconditioned work location, when the heat index measures 80-89 degrees Fahrenheit, or 90 degrees Fahrenheit or more, respectively.”

This is a good step forward and an effective hedge against inaction by OSHA, if we can get it passed by the city council, even as we push for the wider adoption nationally.

In Little Rock, there isn’t a heat ordinance per se, but there are some procedures:

City of Little Rock does implement some heat safety measures specifically for its city employees, particularly those working outdoors:

• Adjusted work schedules: City departments are authorized to amend work schedules, such as starting earlier, when temperatures are dangerously high.
• Indoor access during extreme heat: If the heat index reaches 105°F, city employees working outside are allowed to come into City facilities.
• Park and Recreation policy: Little Rock Parks & Recreation has a policy to bring outdoor workers indoors when the heat index exceeds 105°F

There’s no mention of breaks, more water, or of course triggers at 80- and 90-degrees Fahrenheit.  There’s room for improvement there. In representing the workers, we need to talk to the mayor and council members about meeting the challenge a bit better.

Just because we can’t change the weather, doesn’t mean we can’t adapt to the changes that climate is bringing.  In sports, from high school to the pros, the protocols on heat and hydration have changed radically over recent decades.  We need to guarantee workers no less.