AFT’s Weingarten Lauds New Biden Action to Tackle Workplace Heat

Press Release

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WASHINGTON-AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement after the Biden administration proposed a new rule to address excessive heat in the workplace:

"The earth is getting hotter and so are workplaces. Workers are suffering, and President Biden has heard our cries and is acting to ensure safety for workers as the climate changes and the number of hot days multiplies. Under this rule, employers are no longer granted the prerogative to stick their heads in the sand and refuse to offer workers water breaks-or sit idly by as their employees suffer from heat stroke.

"The risk posed by excessive heat to workers has become increasingly dire. Workers have lost their lives from unbearable temperatures at work, with countless more suffering serious injury or illness. Nobody should feel that their job is contingent upon sticking it out through hazardous conditions. That's why the AFT has worked tirelessly with state legislators to help establish temperature protocols in schools, hospitals and other workplaces-and it is why we support the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's decisive action at the federal level."

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The AFT represents 1.7 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.