You’ve got to look at the big picture. Sure, that labor unit isn’t productive anymore; but the survival-at-manager-discretion policy is the cutting edge of labor discipline.
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I don’t think there’s going to BE a state water break law.
From the Texas State Tribune:
Supporters of HB 2127 say that local regulations on breaks for construction workers are unnecessary because the right to a safe labor environment is already guaranteed through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Their rationalization for this change is clearly garage. If the OSHA rules were sufficient, THIS wouldn’t be true:
Texas is the state where the most workers die from high temperatures, government data shows. At least 42 workers died in Texas between 2011 and 2021 from environmental heat exposure, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Workers’ unions claim this data doesn’t fully reflect the magnitude of the problem because heat-related deaths are often recorded under a different primary cause of injury.
This is really just another manifestation of Texas GOP hostility toward cities deciding what is best for their residents.
The GOP when federal laws are enforced in Texas: “LOCAL CONTROL!”
The GOP when state government nullifies local municipal laws:
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I was listening to an actor talking about his role as a villain and how even though the villain was pretty one-dimensionally evil, he tried to give him a sympathetic side because “He doesn’t think he’s the bad guy, nobody does. Nobody is saying ‘moo hoo ha, I’m so evil!’”
I’m pretty sure Greg Abbot and his ilk are doing exactly that. There is literally no other reason to do this except to kill people. This is mustache-twirling, lazily-written shallow villain behavior but that is actually what the GOP does now, on a daily basis. Evil for evil’s sake. Anything that will cause more death and misery, whether or not anyone (even the ultra-rich) benefits.
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“Just because you made us get rid of our slaves, doesn’t mean that we can’t treat workers as if they were slaves.”
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I’m honestly surprised the Lege hasn’t done this—and apparently has little appetite to do so. Not just to Austin but all the left-leaning cities in Texas. Or appointed “emergency managers” a la Snyder in Michigan.
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It’s also such a strange inversion to treat the Middle East as being this huge influence on American politics, when in fact the shape of the Middle East now has so much to do with the influence of American politics.
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Because they don’t really want to do that. They’re just engaging in political theater.
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Indeed! And it ignores the centuries of oppression that is part and parcel of our politics.
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Greg Abbot: No water breaks mandated by local ordinances.
New Local Ordinance: For work crews of 5 or more, a health and safety officer shall be appointed to the job site, overseeing the general health and well being of the work force. For work crews of 50 or more, an EMT shall be on site for every 50 workers.
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Great idea, but this bill completely preempts local ordinances for labor.
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Perhaps that will happen this week, when the power grid goes down and they have no air conditioning.
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The workaround would be this to be mandated by the insurance providers, if the employer wants coverage.
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Republicans literally want you to die. Yes, YOU! A vote for the GOP is a vote for death.
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Nah, they’ll just dock the wages of workers who collapse on the job from heatstroke.
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Are you kidding? Half of them would die in those conditions, especially if they had to use hand tools in that heat.
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Right this minute it’s
Temperature: 97.0 F (36.1 C) Heat index: 112.6 F (44.8 C):1 Dew Point: 77.0 F (25.0 C) Relative Humidity: 53%
That’s a wet-bulb temperature of 83° F
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Just to confirm: the Texas state legislature is trying to eviscerate THE TOWN THEIR JOB IS BASED IN AND CANNOT BE EASILY MOVED ELSEWHERE?
This takes ‘cutting off your nose to spite your face’ to a whole new level.
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People making these dumb laws should be forced to work in the conditions affected by these laws for one week. If they’re still not changing their mind, then make it permanent.
Why do we have these old, almost dead, white ghouls make rules for everyone? They should just fuck off to the graves where they belong.
The law will nullify ordinances enacted by Austin in 2010 and Dallas in 2015 that established 10-minute breaks every four hours so that construction workers can drink water and protect themselves from the sun. It also prevents other cities from passing such rules in the future
Is this what they always yapping about “Pretty soon, it’s gonna be a communist country.?”
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They are well aware that the Legislature is in Austin. That’s why they want to run Austin themselves.
State Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, filed House Bill 714 and House Joint Resolution 50 on Tuesday, proposing a new “District of Austin” that would replace Texas’ capital city as of Jan. 1, 2024. The government of the district would directly report any new actions to the lieutenant governor and speaker of the House of Representatives.
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