World
A right to drink? Inside the debate to protect US workers against the heat
Dallas, Texas – More than a decade later, Eva Marroquin’s voice still shakes when she talks about it.
The 51-year-old mother of five had been working construction in Austin, Texas, for about five years when she heard that a friend had died of heat exposure at a worksite. It was 2012, and he had been helping to build a bridge at the intersection of two local highways.
“He just couldn’t get to the water in time,” Marroquin said.
The news shook Marroquin, who had experienced her own close calls with the sweltering temperatures that broil the southern United States in the summertime.
After days of painting walls or cleaning up sites, Marroquin’s face would burn red in the heat. Sometimes, she felt feverish and dizzy. Her throat would even close. It left her with haunting thoughts of what her friend must have lived through in his final moments.
“I distinctly remember how that felt, and it made me want to speak up even more,” Marroquin told Al Jazeera.
Marroquin is among the advocates pushing for greater protections for workers facing extreme temperatures in the US.
The US Department of Health and Human Services found that heat-related deaths overall have been on the rise, as climate change drives temperatures to new heights. In 2023, an estimated 2,302 people died from heat-related conditions, up from 1,722 in 2022 and 1,602 in 2021.
But in the US, there are no federal protections specifically designed to protect workers from environmental heat.
Marroquin and other workplace advocates are lobbying to change that — but in the meantime, state and local governments in the US have been duking it out over the authority to protect workers from the stifling heat.
A fight between state and local authority
On July 1, a new law comes into effect in Florida that reflects those tensions.
Last summer was the hottest on record in the state, prompting Miami-Dade County to consider an ordinance that would mandate heat safety training, regular breaks and access to water during high-temperature days.
But Florida Governor Ron DeSantis blocked that attempt, signing a law that instead banned local governments from establishing their own workplace safety requirements for heat exposure.
“There was a lot of concern out of one county, Miami-Dade,” DeSantis told local press at the time, warning that the local ordinance would have caused “a lot of problems”.
Florida was the second state in recent months to pass such a law. In 2023, Texas Governor Greg Abbott also signed what critics called the “Death Star” bill — so named for its ability to destroy local regulations that went beyond existing state mandates.
It, too, prevented municipalities from implementing their own heat safety laws, effectively killing ordinances in areas like Austin and Dallas. Houston and other cities have challenged the law in court.
As in Florida, however, proponents of the law have argued that a patchwork of local regulations would be too cumbersome for companies to navigate. Business groups also warned of “local government overreach”.
“The Texas law is mostly focused on preventing the big municipalities from doing basically anything that might make doing business in Texas inconvenient or location-specific,” said Alison Grinter, a civil rights lawyer in the Dallas metropolitan area.
She explained that the oil and gas industries have long held sway in Texas politics and helped craft the state’s business-friendly reputation. That, in turn, has attracted technology and finance companies to the state as well.
Grinter added that part of the motive for blocking the local ordinances was also political. While the Texas state government is dominated by Republicans, several of its biggest cities — including Houston and Austin — are led by Democrats.
“For culture war purposes, the idea that there are four or five different big oases in the middle of the state that are sanctuaries from all of the reactionary social laws really galls lawmakers,” Grinter said.
Still, only five states have taken it upon themselves to pass heat-exposure protections. They include California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Minnesota.
“The Texas government doesn’t want local laws, but they also don’t want a statewide law,” said Ana Gonzalez of the Texas AFL-CIO, a labour union. “So workers are stuck.”
Petitioning the federal government
That gridlock on the state and local level has shifted the battle over workplace protections to the federal government.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates that employers implement a workplace safety policy, but it does not indicate how that policy must address heat protection.
That may be changing, though. In 2021, OSHA announced it would start to develop a rule to mitigate the risks of heat-related injuries and deaths for workers, and a spokesperson, Kimberly Darby, told Al Jazeera that this month marked an important step forward.
“Last week, OSHA’s proposed rule was sent to the Office of Management and Budget for review,” Darby said. “We are another step closer to giving workers the protections they need and deserve.”
The proposed rule, however, has yet to be published — and its exact contents are therefore unknown. In addition, new OSHA rules can take years to achieve final approval.
So some advocates are looking to another federal body: the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA.
On June 17, 31 organisations — including immigrants’ rights groups, environmental nonprofits and farmworkers unions — petitioned FEMA (PDF) to provide disaster relief funds for extreme heat, as well as areas affected by wildfire smoke.
It is part of a broader effort to convince the federal government to step in for their local counterparts, according to Will Humble, who signed the petition on behalf of the Arizona Public Health Association, a nonprofit.
“Planning for and saving lives is a state and local responsibility,” Humble told Al Jazeera. “But FEMA really should include heat emergencies in their funding. Many county health departments are understaffed.”
‘Not seen as human’
In the absence of strong federal action, activists like Christine Bolaños say that employers are left with all the power to decide how to address extreme heat in the workplace, leaving workers at risk.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), at least 600 workers died from heat exposure while working from 2005 to 2021. An additional 43 deaths were documented in 2022 alone.
Experts indicate the actual number is likely higher, as heat-related deaths are difficult to track.
A broad swath of the workforce is at risk, too. The bureau estimates that 33 percent of American employees spend time outdoors as part of their everyday work.
Especially vulnerable are foreign-born Latino labourers, including both legal and undocumented immigrants, who represent a disproportionate number of work-related deaths.
Though these workers make up only 8.2 percent of the workforce, they represent 14 percent of on-the-job fatalities. The bureau also noted that Latino workers make up the majority of the construction and agricultural labour, two industries where heat exposure is an acute risk.
Bolaños — a staff member at the Workers Defense Project, a community organisation that fights for the rights of low-wage immigrant construction workers in Texas — said the heightened risks are part of a pattern of exploitation.
“Immigrant workers are especially prone to wage theft and other violations of their rights, and they’re often not aware of their rights,” said Bolaños.
The lack of heat-related protections, she added, was a reflection of how workplaces perceive these employees.
“Sometimes, they’re not seen as human,” Bolaños said. “They are not valued for their humanity, just what they can produce. Employers forget workers need to drink water. They need shade; they need breaks.”
‘The monster is here’
Congressman Greg Casar, a Texas Democrat, believes part of the problem is also scepticism towards climate change itself — and a resistance to addressing its dangers.
“Many of us progressives used to campaign on ‘the climate crisis is coming,’ and we were accused of making up a monster that didn’t exist,” Casar told Al Jazeera.
“Now the monster is here, and the things we’re fighting for have become so basic. We’re arguing over food and housing. We’re arguing over people having the right to a water break.”
Casar has spent years organising demonstrations to showcase the plight of workers — including through “thirst strikes”, where he and others refused to drink for hours, to demonstrate the risks of extreme heat.
At a “thirst strike” last year, Marroquin’s coarse, strong hands clutched a sign that read, “PEOPLE OVER PROFITS”.
Tears flowed from her eyes, which she says have been damaged by the sun and heat. She explained she developed pterygium, a kind of fleshy growth near one of her eyes, from her exposure to hot, dry conditions.
Now, a year later, Marroquin told Al Jazeera she hopes change will come soon. Just this month, she spoke to OSHA about her experience and gave feedback on the forthcoming federal rule.
“It’s really difficult to implement laws about work,” she conceded. “But we have to demand that OSHA implements rules as a whole across construction sites, in the same way they demand scaffolding is built in a certain way.”
But even with a federal standard on the way, advocates and legal experts are wary. Several told Al Jazeera that new OSHA rules are notoriously difficult to pass because of understaffing and a high standard of review, as well as potential legal challenges.
Gonzalez, the advocate from the Texas AFL-CIO, said she was bracing for the mandatory public commenting period for the eventual rule — at which time, she expects corporations to weigh in.
“I’m sure there will be pushback from the state or associations, because the rule will impact all industries,” she said. “But hopefully, this is going to prevent people from dying.”
If Iran kills American soldiers, it crosses the red line and would be a good reason to resume the war, said US President, Donald Trump
Inside Lviv: Ukraine’s ‘Unbroken City’
Fox News Digital reports from Lviv, where military funerals, civilian weapons training and beauty pageants coexist as residents struggle to preserve normal life four years into Russia’s war against Ukraine.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
In an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed meeting to reach a resolution to the years-long war between their two nations.
“We see that the United States is fully focused on the issue of Iran, and it would be wrong to simply wait until the war in Europe returns to the center of its attention. Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us — and you. I am proposing a meeting,” Zelenskyy said in the letter.
“There are countries that have traditionally hosted leaders to resolve issues of war and peace. Switzerland, Türkiye, the countries of the Arab world — many are able and willing to host such a meeting. It is leaders who resolve the key issues. That has always been the case, and it always will be,” he asserted.
18 HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEFY TRUMP TO PASS UKRAINE AID PACKAGE HEADED FOR VETO FIGHT
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not seen) hold a joint press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 3, 2026. (Danylo Antoniuk/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Zelenskyy suggested that Europe and the U.S. should also be involved in the peace process.
“Since the war is taking place in Europe, and since Ukraine needs security guarantees, while you also seek security guarantees for yourself, it would be logical to involve those who can genuinely serve as guarantors. We believe Europe should be part of this process — those who truly have the capacity to influence the situation. We also believe that the United States must be part of the process. This is what could help shape a new security architecture for our part of the world,” he said.
HOUSE REPUBLICAN DON BACON SAYS HE WANTS ‘PARIAH STATE’ RUSSIA BOOTED FROM UN SECURITY COUNCIL
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Presidential Council for the Implementation of State Policy on the Promotion of the Russian Language and the Languages of the Peoples of Russia via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow on June 2, 2026. (Vyacheslav PROKOFYEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
He indicated that Ukraine would agree to a ceasefire during the proposed negotiations.
“Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations. This is standard practice, and current developments around Iran only reinforce that point. An attempt to establish real silence is the best way to begin talking to one another. We believe it would not simply be an attempt, but a real ceasefire — if that is what you want,” he noted.
He also suggested a prisoner swap between the two nations, noting, “Ukraine is ready for an all-for-all exchange of prisoners of war, and this could become a good prologue to ending the war. Serious steps must be taken to return civilians and children who were taken away during the war.”
PENTAGON SLASHES NATO COMBAT COMMITMENTS AS TRUMP PUSHES EUROPE TO DEFEND ITSELF
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands at a news conference following a meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on Dec. 28, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“If you do not personally come to the conclusion that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue fighting for its existence. We will have those who support us. But you, too, will have to fight much harder for your own existence — not Russia’s, but your own. And this is not a threat from me or from Ukraine. It is a fact of Russian history that you know well: when Russia grows tired, change comes,” Zelenskyy warned Putin.
Tehran, Iran – In the popular Bastan market in the west of the Iranian capital, where the inviting smell of fresh bread and fruit mingle with the sight of colourful fabrics and clothing, the scene no longer holds its usual joy.
Passersby wander among the vendors’ stalls, carefully turning goods over only to return them to their places.
list of 4 itemsend of listRecommended Stories
“Daily shopping trips have turned into something resembling a reconnaissance mission to find out the new prices,” says Mashhadi Firouz, a 63-year-old retiree, is reminiscing about his youth on this street when it was bustling with life.
Firouz is standing in front of the shelves in a large grocery store, turning items over one by one, searching for the prices listed on their packaging.
“A year ago, a kilo of rice was about 1.8 million rials ($1.31), but today it has crossed the 5-million-rial ($3.63) threshold,” he tells Al Jazeera. “Likewise, a bottle of cooking oil was about 700,000 rials ($0.51) until the spring of last year, but its price has now reached more than 3 million rials ($2.18).
“My pension does not even cover a third of the household expenses.”
He continues, exasperated: “We are witnessing a terrifying expansion of poverty, and not just extreme poverty, but what can be called the poverty of retirees and employees, as fixed-income earners are living below the poverty line for the first time in decades.
“We do not only complain about the high prices, but about their speed, which leaves us no chance to catch our breath.”
‘Counting eggs one by one’
Just a few metres away, Fatima, 46, a housewife and mother of three, tells Al Jazeera that she has to make multiple trips to the market each week just to stay ahead of the price rises.
“I now go to the market three times a week instead of once, not because I need anything, but to see if there is a seller who has goods at a lower price, or a commodity that the wave of inflation has not yet caught up with.
“Red meat has become a dream, chicken has become a mere guest on our table, and I have even started counting eggs one by one.”
Hearing about prices doubling within days or weeks is no longer unusual, Fatima says. But inflation is no longer an “earthquake that strikes everyone equally”, but rather a selective epidemic that preys on the vulnerable more than others.
When the price of food rises, a poor family can lose half its income to necessities it cannot do without, while a wealthier family may barely notice.
In the wholesale market in the “Narenj” area south of Tehran, Mehran, 71, a grocery seller, speaks about another face of the crisis. “Inflation has not only hit the buyer, but it has hit us, too,” he tells Al Jazeera. “Purchasing power has collapsed, and people are now buying only the essentials. Prices have doubled in less than four months, so we had to reduce the quantities offered, but we cannot find anyone to buy them.”
“In my 40 years of work, I have never seen a recession this bad, not even during the worst periods of sanctions.”
Mehrah isn’t even looking to turn a profit at this point, he says. “I am just trying not to go bankrupt and close the shop I inherited from my father.”
Rampant inflation
A new report by the Central Bank of Iran revealed a historic jump in the annual inflation rate, reaching 77.2 percent year-on-year in the period between April 21 and May 20, with a monthly increase of 8.5 percent compared with the previous month. Furthermore, point-to-point inflation for goods reached 113 percent.
This is Iran’s highest inflation rate since 1942, during World War II, which triggered the collapse of food supply chains and soaring prices.
Arman Khaleghi, head of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines, points to what he describes as a “perfect economic storm” of five factors that have all poured down simultaneously on the Iranian economy.
“We are facing a deadly intersection between the elimination of the preferential currency [the subsidised exchange rate for providing basic goods], which caused food prices to soar; the protests the country witnessed at the beginning of this year, which disrupted the market system and compromised the country’s security; followed by the [US-Israeli] ‘Ramadan War,’ which is not devoid of devastating inflationary effects,” he tells Al Jazeera.
“These were followed by the annual increases in wages and energy prices at the beginning of the new Persian year, and finally the naval blockade that hindered import and export chains.”
As for the impact of the war, Khaleghi believes it was not just the military shock, but a “panic-driven demand engine” that radically changed consumer behaviour.
“With the outbreak of the war, people rushed to hoard basic goods, such as food and detergents. Demand jumped despite there being no real shortage in the markets, and this feverish rush alone is enough to drive up prices.”
This, in turn, has triggered a production shock. The damage inflicted on primary industries, led by petrochemicals, drove up packaging costs for the food, pharmaceutical and detergent industries. Furthermore, problems in the steel sector have diffused into the car and home appliance sectors, he says, transmitting the contagion of inflation from the factory to the store shelf.
Khaleghi points to an external factor that acted as the “knockout blow,” namely the maritime blockade that has made travelling to Iran a perilous mission for cargo ships. In this regard, he says, “Even the mere news of a ship being targeted immediately raises prices, let alone the existence of actual difficulties and palpable shortages that have forced the search for more expensive alternative land routes. This has plunged the import process into a dark tunnel and spread a sense of impending scarcity in the market, translating into skyrocketing prices.”
Regarding the figures, Khaleghi addresses the paradox of increased workers’ wages and salaries at the beginning of the year against inflation that has exceeded all official expectations. He reveals the hidden tragedy, saying, “The decision to raise wages and salaries was intended to compensate for the effects of the removal of the preferential currency rate and to preserve the purchasing power of the working class. However, the increase, which seemed substantial on paper, proved entirely insufficient in reality. The result is a sharp decline in real purchasing power, which begins by devouring household savings, then preys on health, medical, and education budgets, until it ultimately impacts daily sustenance.”
Khaleghi warns of a vicious cycle closing in on the economy, stating, “We are in a situation where the state itself is bearing the brunt of the economic slowdown. Tax revenues, which were supposed to offset part of the cost of the preferential currency reforms, are also shrinking. Thus, we are faced with an impossible equation: the citizen’s income is melting away, the state’s income is eroding, and prices continue to soar to heights unseen in decades.”
‘Standing on the edge of an iceberg’
Over in Tajrish Square on the north side of the city, where a popular market appears packed with customers at first glance, conversations with shop owners soon tell a completely different story.
“You would think the market is alive, but it is clinically dead,” Reza, 47, a shop owner, tells Al Jazeera.
“People come here because the market is the last free place for entertainment. They wander aimlessly, remembering the days when they used to enter shopping malls and leave with bags that filled their car trunks. Today, however, they might not buy anything, and I do not blame them. As a merchant myself, I can no longer afford to buy what I sell.”
Reyhaneh, 32, an accountant, says: “Every day, I pass by here, and I make sure to buy something, but I feel sad when I see hundreds of people wandering around with empty hands. They did not come just to look at the prices, but many of them leave when confronted with the exceedingly high prices.”
Her husband, Mahmoud, 37, a lecturer at a private university, joins the conversation, telling Al Jazeera, “You might hear here about inflation exceeding 300 percent for some goods, and you might think it is a sudden shock caused by the war. But the truth is that these figures would not have been possible if not for structural diseases accumulated over decades of relying on oil revenues.
“The country used to cover its wounds with petrodollars, and now that the effect of the anaesthetic has worn off, all the ailments have surfaced at once.”
Looking at shelves crowded with goods, Mahmoud argues, “What worries me is not just the price hikes, but the experts’ estimates of the consequences of flawed economic policies that have not yet emerged, because they have effectively hidden behind the noise of the war.
“This means we are standing on the edge of an iceberg; what we see now is only the tip. To make matters worse, we are stuck in a state of neither war nor peace, and this state of suspension is the worst poison that can afflict an exhausted economy.”
-
Virginia4 minutes agoVirginia man gets life in prison for double murder scheme in affair with Brazilian au pair
-
Washington7 minutes agoWA cannabis market faces pressure from federal changes and oversupply
-
Wisconsin12 minutes agoWauwatosa West star, prized 2027 recruit Jalen Brown commits to Wisconsin
-
West Virginia19 minutes agoCity of Huntington prepares to host WVSSAC State Baseball Tournament – WV MetroNews
-
Wyoming22 minutes ago
Trans Woman Faces Assault Charges For Self-Defense, Despite Wyoming’s “Stand Your Ground” Law
-
Crypto27 minutes agoBitcoin Slides Below $60K as Traders Trigger $1.57B Liquidation Wave Across Crypto
-
Finance34 minutes agoCalls for inquiry into all royal finances after Andrew subletting revelations
-
Fitness37 minutes ago‘Spice up your workout’: At 51, this exercise class transformed Mel B’s fitness in weeks
