Time For Action: Tell Republicans, "Hands Off Heat Standards!"

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When it comes to mindless cruelty, Republicans never seem to run out of ideas. When it comes to things that folk actually want -- y'know, one job that pays decently, housing that doesn't vaporize your entire check, or groceries you can actually afford -- they hem, haw, and change the subject.

Or else they take a leaf from arch-cruel autocrat wannabes like Texas's imperial-minded Governor, Greg Abbot, who's crusading against foot-washing stations at airports. Yes, you read that right. So long as a single Muslim traveler can take advantage of that religious practice while they're on the go, Abbot won't rest a single minute (see below). 

Still, as bizarre as Abbot's foot-washing jihad sounds, he may feel hard-pressed to match his Congressional counterparts' zeal to prevent the US Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) from setting standards for heat, water and rest breaks in extreme temperatures. (Actually, he's ahead of this cruelty curve, too, but we'll get to that shortly.)

First, though, let's pause for a few words from the AFL-CIO, to set the scene:

"Cities coast to coast are breaking all-time heat records this July, as the extreme heat continues.

 

"But while workers continue to face dangerous and potentially deadly working conditions, anti-worker leaders in Congress are quietly attempting to stop any heat safety protection laws from being passed, now or in the future.

 

"HR 6213, the misnamed Heat Workforce Standards Act, would prohibit the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from creating or enforcing any national heat safety law. 

"Working in extreme heat, both inside and outside, makes workers vulnerable to heat-related illness and even death. It’s difficult to track as heat-related deaths and illnesses are not always recorded as such. As a result, this is a serious problem that is undercounted.

 

"Working in hot environments also impacts a worker’s ability to think clearly, concentrate and react quickly, all of which can lead to further risk and harm.

 

"Please make a call in favor of heat safety standards and to protect workers from heat at work. Call 844-937-2517 now.

 

"In 2024, OSHA proposed the nation’s first heat safety standard. The Trump administration has yet to implement these much-needed protections. But the truth is, leaving heat exposure at work unaddressed doesn’t help big corporations—it costs them $7.8 billion each year and additionally would prevent more than 500 worker fatalities a year. What’s good for workers is what’s good for businesses, and many heat safety measures are common sense, widely accepted and necessary to save lives. 

 

"Workers are facing increasingly hot temperatures across the country, year after year. And all workers are at serious risk of harm from the heat. Thank you for standing with workers this summer and every day."

 

So what's at stake? According to For Construction Pros magazine, OSHA proposed two thresholds in August 2024. If the heat index hits 80 degrees, employers would supply one quart of cool drinking water per worker per hour; air-conditioned or shaded break areas; paid rest breaks, as needed; and an acclimatization plan for new and returning workers. At 90 degrees, employers would add a paid 15-minute break every two hours, a pre-shift hazard alert, and a buddy system, or supervisor observation.

Sounds pretty straightforward, right? As the article notes: "Water, shade, and a break. A few small changes intended to protect our vulnerable workforce in the field. That's it." Who, in their right mind, would oppose measures designed to protect asphalt and construction workers -- or counterparts who work outside, like fruit pickers -- from small things like heat stroke?

Not to worry, as House Republicans are taking up the cudgel against heat protections. They recently advanced -- on a party-line vote, of course -- a bill (HR 6123) that would essentially ban OSHA from ever implementing its proposed standard, or any "substantially similar" rule. 

Equally notable is what the proposed law doesn't do, as the magazine observes: "It carries no sunset date and no mechanism for Congress to revisit the question if heat related injury or death continue to rise. It does not amend the standard or send OSHA back to rewrite it. It functionally closes the door and takes the handle off." 

Which, of course, is the intent. Why go to these lengths, otherwise? It reminds us of the old joke about the scorpion stinging the frog, as they're crossing a river. (If you haven't heard it, no worries -- it's one of the classic moments from the 1992 film, The Crying Game.) 

"Why did you sting me?" the frog plaintively asks, as they start sinking. "You promised me you wouldn't do that."

"I can't help it," the scorpion responds. "it's my nature." We'll revisit that point, too, because it's more pertinent to our discussion than you might think.

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As extreme as HR 6123 sounds, its future path remains uncertain. Sixty-three House Republicans have signed onto it, but no Democrat has done so. Nor have any Democrats joined a similar version co-sponsored by US Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and 11 of his cohorts. 

Even if the House passes HR 6123, it faces an uphill future in US Senate, where Mitch McConnell, Kentucky's Decaying Gravedigger of Democracy, long ago cemented 60 votes as the price of doing business there. That means convincing seven Democrats, and all 53 Republicans -- which is hardly a given, with more than a few Elephant Party water carriers (Collins, Husted) facing tough re-election races this fall.

The proposed OSHA rule isn't going anywhere, either. It's sat on the shelf since the original public comment period closed on October 30, 2025. No proposal for a final rule has been announced, again, most likely by design.

But even if Congressional Republicans don't succeed, Abbot -- and his maniacal twin, Governor Ron DeSantis, of Florida -- are way ahead of them, as Construction Pros reported last September (see link below). Both states have passed sweeping measures to prevent local governments from imposing their own restrictions; this, even though Texas leads the nation in heat-related fatalities, at 334, while Florida isn't far behind (84).

Reading the GOP 101 Clichespeak of HR 6123's mastermind, Indiana Congressman Mark Messmer, is an even more surreal experience -- as he rails against "rolling back more of the unnecessary Biden-era regulations," and "reducing trivial red tape." 

Last time we checked, you can get cold water for free, out of the tap -- unless Abbot plans to start charging his subjects for it, once the Islamic foot-washing areas are safely removed. How much more would those 15-minute breaks cost for construction and road workers, who typically earn wages above the local norm?

But there's another irony worth noting. The American Road & Transportation Builders Association opposed OSHA's proposal as burdensome, and expensive -- citing the potential crew costs of mandated rest breaks, among other concerns, Construction Pros reports. "But ARTBA never asked Congress to eliminate federal heat rulemaking entirely," the magazine asserts, in its August update. "HR 6123 forecloses that outcome. The 'substantially similar' language would block a performance-based heat standard as thoroughly as a prescriptive one."

The betrayed tone is impossible to miss, particularly in Construction Pros's September 2025 article, when it reported on the groundswell to get moving on HR 6123. The article focuses on the irony of states like Texas cracking down on heat restrictions, amid their participation in such glitzy, high-profile celebrations, as Work Zone Awareness Week:

"While the focus on work zone safety in this manner is absolutely critical to raising awareness, only focusing on the aspect related to drivers and auto accidents does potentially cast an empty and performative light on all the press releases, Facebook posts, and Instagram reels from various State officials, while they actively pass legislation that increases work zone danger."

If nothing else, these negative passion projects remind us all of the need for unions. What kind of darkness thrives in somebody who'd deny their worker bees a drink of water, and a brief rest break, especially since extreme weather is now the norm?

It's one tendency that unites all these Trump prostrating edgelords -- from Bezos, to Ellison, to Musk, Zuckerberg and back again. They're all virulently anti-union, and they all can't wait to tell us what to do. As long as we don't try to flip the script on them, and tell them what to do -- because that's when the face falls off, with a clang, and a thud. And the ugliness lurking behind it is truly a sight for the sorest of eyeballs!

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When you consider the growing unease with immigration policies that have drastically hurt the agricultural and construction industries -- both of whom went all-in for the 2024 Trump Restoration, with campaign contributions, and full-throated support -- the urge to scratch that schadenfreude itch becomes irresistible. 

But for now, let's focus on simpler objectives, starting with calls to the 844-937-2517 number that the AFL-CIO has set up. That line connects you to your Congressional representative, without having to look up the number. If that line's busy, you could try the Congressional switchboard (202-224-3121).

And maybe, just maybe, it's worth dropping a proverbial dime to Congressman Messmer. A quick check at opensecrets.org shows him raising $1.16 million, with half of it ($457,000) coming from PACs. The profile of a typical corporate politician, right? But still, it's worth reminding him that we're aware of what he's doing, and don't support it, so call: (202) 225-4636.

Considering the political headwinds blowing so heavily on Messmer and company, it shouldn't be too hard to get their attention. As for the industries that supported Trump? Maybe you know someone who's a contractor, or a paver, or a roofer. Or a fruit picker, or a landscaper, or anyone who works outside.

Show them the Construction Pros articles, and ask: "What happened here? They thought these guys were their friends, but look at what they're planning. Is that what friends do? Maybe it's time you started looking for some different friends, too."

And then, if all else fails? You can tell the story of the scorpion, and the frog. Because it's one thing to end up drowning, once the stinger does its thing. Especially if you willingly put yourself there, by choice. Remember, they can't help it. It's their nature. --The Reckoner

Guess what? 

Sometimes, it just pays 

to trust your instincts...

<pic: janellehardy.com>

Links To Go, Or... (Do Republicans 
Really Have It Made In The Shade?)

Chron.com: Why A Muslim Airport Amenity
Open Since 2024 Has Drawn The Ire Of Republicans:
Why a Muslim airport amenity open since 2024 has the ire of Texas Republicans

For Construction Pros: House Republicans
Advance Ban On Heat Safety Standard...:
https://www.forconstructionpros.com/asphalt/business/safety/article/22972616/house-republicans-advance-ban-on-heat-standard-workers-to-absorb-the-risk

For Construction Pros: When The Heat Is On:
Safety Rollbacks Endanger Road Crews In The Sunbelt:
https://www.forconstructionpros.com/business/construction-safety/article/22947582/heat-safety-rollbacks-endanger-road-crews-in-the-sunbelt

National Federation of Independent Businesses:
NFIB Supports Committee Passage
Of The Heat Workforce Standards Act:
https://www.nfib.com/news/press-release/nfib-supports-committee-passage-of-the-heat-workforce-standards-act/

(Included for completeness. It's so much blather, because -- hey, that free cup of cold water is just too much to offer during a busy roadwork day -- but it's worth a look, if only to view how the promoters of this notion are going about imposing it on everyone else.)

This is the time for action,

Time to be seen...

To Be Continued...

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