Teamsters Urge Legislators to Approve TEMP Bill

TL/DR -

The Teamsters union, along with several other organizations, is calling on the New York Senate and General Assembly to pass the Temperature Extreme Mitigation (TEMP) Act. The act would require employers to safeguard their workers from extreme weather conditions by providing access to hydration, air conditioning, warmth, shade, and other protections. The Teamsters have previously secured these protections in national contracts and are now pushing to ensure every worker in the state has access to similar occupational safety protocols.

Proposed Law Aims to Protect New York Workers from Extreme Weather Conditions

In a significant step towards employee wellness, the Teamsters today partnered with the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, La Colmena, the National Employment Law Project, the Retail Wholesale Department Store Union (RWDSU), and WE ACT for Environmental Justice urging the New York Senate and General Assembly to approve the Temperature Extreme Mitigation (TEMP) Act (S1604/A8935).

Teamsters Joint Council 16 President, Tom Gesualdi, extended gratitude to Senate Labor Chair Jessica Ramos, Assembly Labor Chair Harry Bronson, and Assemblywoman Jen Lunsford for their advocacy on this urgently needed legislation. The TEMP Act, once enacted, will offer reliable protections, ensuring a safe working environment for our present and future workforce.

The TEMP Act obligates employers to protect employees from extreme weather hazards. This includes providing hydration, air conditioning, warmth, shade, and other elemental protections.

Immediate action is necessary to prevent alarming consequences for our workers and communities, stated Jeffrey Brylski, President of Teamsters Joint Council 46. He added that the potential health implications and loss of life, along with the economic impact of lost workdays and increased risk of injuries, can't be overlooked.

Existing protections for our members in national contracts need to be universal across the state, stated Thomas Quackenbush, President of Teamsters Joint Council 18. He stressed the importance of robust precautions in the face of rising global temperatures and the direct impact on worker safety.

Learn more about the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, representing 1.3 million industrious people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, on their website. Follow them on Twitter @Teamsters and find them on Facebook.

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