{"id":3368,"date":"2026-05-05T21:25:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T01:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/?p=3368"},"modified":"2026-05-05T21:25:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T01:25:22","slug":"new-report-reveals-coordinated-corporate-campaign-against-life-saving-federal-heat-standard-for-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/?p=3368","title":{"rendered":"New Report Reveals Coordinated Corporate Campaign Against Life-Saving Federal Heat Standard for Workers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As record heat waves threaten workers from report sites and warehouses to farmlands and delivery routes across the country, a new report<\/a> from Groundwork Collaborative, Workshop, and Harvard Law School\u2019s Center for Labor and a Just Economy outlines a coordinated campaign by corporations, trade groups, and their political allies to block enforceable heat protections for America\u2019s labor force. The report\u2019s authors, Adam Dean and Jamie McCallum, find that a nationwide heat standard could save thousands from heat-related illnesses and deaths each year.<\/p>\n

Building on previous research<\/a> published in Health Affairs<\/em>, the authors find that California\u2019s heat standard, which requires common-sense workplace protections including access to water, shade, and regular rest breaks for workers, resulted in a 51% reduction in heat-related deaths compared to neighboring states that lack similar protections. If a similar heat standard was adopted federally, the authors estimate these basic regulations could save up to 1,500 lives annually.<\/p>\n

But, the paper\u2019s authors find that corporate and industry interests are preventing federal action to protect their workforces from heat exposure. Attempts at regulation in Washington have stalled while worker safety and wellbeing relies entirely on geography and political will. As the Biden administration\u2019s life-saving heat rule remains stalled, Trump has failed to extend protections, instead siding with corporate interests.<\/p>\n

In the paper, the authors write:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAs extreme heat intensifies, the cost of inaction will be measured in lives lost. The question facing policymakers is no longer whether effective protections exist, but whether they have the political will to stand up to unscrupulous employers lobbying hard to block them.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Background<\/strong><\/p>\n

Extreme heat threatens thousands of workers each year with no relief in sight.<\/strong><\/p>\n