Some U.S. states decide water breaks are for the weak during heatwave
A massive heat dome is baking the East Coast, so naturally, some local governments are doing the most logical thing possible: making it illegal to guarantee outdoor workers water and shade.
While most of the country is sweating through record-breaking temperatures, local politicians are playing a wild game of survival of the fittest. Several states have actually started rolling back heat protections for outdoor workers.
Take Florida, for instance. Just as the summer started cooking, they passed a law that literally bans local cities and counties from requiring heat safety measures—like mandatory water breaks and shade for construction and agricultural workers. Because apparently, hydration is a luxury, not a basic biological need.
The logic behind this is truly spectacular: proponents claim uniform rules make things easier for businesses. Because nothing says "efficient business model" quite like a workforce passing out on the asphalt.
Capitalist efficiency has officially reached the stage where basic hydration is treated as a radical union demand.
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