By Sky Chadde
Since last year, worker advocates and industry representatives in Illinois have negotiated over a potentially groundbreaking piece of legislation that would require employers to protect laborers from extreme temperatures.
In private discussions, the Illinois Farm Bureau, a powerful lobbying organization for the state’s agricultural industries, voiced concern that the bill would impede farmers’ ethical duty to care for their livestock. But, to some participants, one thing seemed to be missing: No mention of workers.
As climate change makes the weather hotter and more volatile, worker advocates have pushed to pass temperature standards into law this year. The legally binding standards in House Bill 3762, such as paid water breaks, are necessary to protect workers’ health and safety — and prevent death — in a rapidly heating world, advocates argue. The bill, introduced by Chicago Democrat Rep. Edgar Gonzalez, is currently being debated in committee.
No federal standard exists to protect workers from extreme heat. The Biden administration began implementing one, but its fate is unclear under the Trump administration, which, in its first term, removed federal webpages linking extreme heat to human health. If the Illinois proposal were to become law, the state would be just the eighth to implement temperature standards.
But the Illinois Farm Bureau has opposed the state proposal since its introduction last year. During negotiations and in a statement to Investigate Midwest, the Farm Bureau argued the legislation would “severely limit” farmers’ ability to care for their animals. The statement did not mention workers.
Click here to see more...