Newly re-elected Secretary-Treasurer for the Texas AFL-CIO, Leonard Aguilar, joined the America’s Work Force Union podcast to discuss eliminating mandatory heat breaks for construction workers in Texas. Aguilar also discussed the need to overturn the action and an update on the Texas AFL-CIO.
Texas has passed a bill that eliminated mandatory 10-minute work breaks due to extreme heat. These breaks were previously required for every four hours of work in the case of high temperatures. By eliminating the mandated breaks, the state displays a lack of care for the workers that build the state's infrastructure, Aguilar said. Adding that he believes this is the first step for Texas legislators to begin stripping away control from cities.
Despite knowing the risks of eliminating mandatory water breaks, the legislators created a situation that has already led to hospitalizations and death. National Nurses United provided a study that shows more deaths occur annually from heat exposure than hurricanes, tornadoes and flooding combined. To overturn the ban on these mandatory breaks, Aguilar says they’ll need to provide teeth in their argument with stats like those provided by NNU and support from several high-ranking officials.
The Texas AFL-CIO and its partner unions are facing a surge of work. “It’s a lot of work, almost too much, but that’s never a bad thing,” said Aguilar. With so much work and well-paying jobs, this is the perfect time to recruit more workers into the trades, he said. The opportunity presented to the trades should not be missed, and if labor is going to gain a foothold in the state, now’s the time, added Aguilar.
To learn more about the bill eliminating mandatory water breaks, listen to the entire episode.