Effects of heat are expected to worsen after bill prohibiting municipalities from enacting shade and water protection is passed
For Javier Torres and other workers whose jobs are conducted outdoors in south Florida, the heat is unavoidable. A new law recently signed by Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Republican governor, that prohibits any municipalities in the state from passing heat protections for workers ensures that it is likely to stay that way.
Torres has seen a co-worker die from heatstroke and another rushed to the emergency room in his years of working in construction in south Florida. He has also fallen and injured himself due to heat exhaustion.
“I work outdoors and have no choice but to work in the heat. I work often in painting and, in the majority of cases, we’re exposed to direct sun and we don’t have shade. Sometimes I feel dizzy and get headaches,” said Torres.
He said employers rarely provide workers with water, leaving workers to ensure they bring enough water to work or find a hose to drink from.
The effects of extreme heat on workers are only expected to worsen due to the climate crisis. Many parts of Florida experienced record heat last year. Orlando hit 100F (37.7C) in August breaking a record set in 1938. The National Weather Service recently issued its outlook for summer 2024, predicting Florida summer temperatures will be warmer than normal.
And then what? What happens after they “burn it to the ground”? Life is suddenly great for them?
How many work places have you set on fire for doing underhanded shit to you?
Hahahahaha. This isn’t just some underhanded shit. It’s now legal in Florida to kill your workers via heat stroke. When the establishment is actively seeking to kill you, there are no limits for retaliation
I’d rather live with absolutely nothing than die forced to work for something I don’t care about for an owner I’ve never seen not allowed to drink water that’s right there, or take a break during the hottest parts of the day.
Burn it down often isn’t literal. They mean walk away, disrupt operations, make it impossible to continue. It won’t be easy, for sure, but often, advocating for one’s self hurts now to save a lot of pain in the future.
I’d guess that a big part of the reason we don’t see more people burning it down is this exact sentiment. People saying it won’t solve all your problems. It won’t be easy. It isn’t possible. Maybe we should start empowering people. Do these things. Burn it. For us all.
We be still working 20 hour days with no rights if unions back long ago didn’t do just what your saying. The 8 hour work week and weekend off was fought for and sometimes that was literally.
Hahahahahhahaha, always so cute when they act like this.
As if this is some great “gotcha” that has never been thought of before.
And then what? After they seize the company, they continue operating and working there except the profits go to them and not some lazy parasites.
I really don’t think that’s how that works. If you revolt against your employer, I don’t think it’s likely that you’ll get to take over the company and continue running it.