"Texas Heat Wave Invigorates Calls For Worker Heat Protections"

"When he works at his job as a painter in Texas’s extreme heat, Maynor Alvarez can feel the toll the weather takes on him.

He and his colleagues have suffered symptoms from cramps to headaches, feeling like they’re going to throw up. He’s felt his heart racing and needed to take breaks.

“All of us who have worked outside have experienced this heat exhaustion,” he told The Hill in an interview conducted in Spanish.

Ultimately, Alvarez said, whether he’s allowed a break may be up to a site’s foreman. He said there have been instances where he’s tried to pause and ends up getting sent home — losing a large portion of the day’s pay."

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill June 29, 2023.

Source: The Hill, 06/30/2023