“Bought-and-paid-for politicians like Gov. Greg Abbott are stripping workers of their right to a water break in the middle of a historic heat wave. It’s insane,” Congressman Greg Casar, whose district includes part of San Antonio, said. Credit: Abe Asher

Editor’s note: This story was corrected to indicate that Greg Casar was the bill’s author and that it calls for the White House to adopt a new Occupational Safety and Health Administration workplace heat standard.

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, a Democrat representing San Antonio and Austin, authored a letter urging the Biden Administration to adopt federal rules requiring employers to give outdoor workers 15-minute water breaks every four hours.

In the letter, Casar asks the White House to implement an Occupational Safety and Health Administration workplace heat standard as quickly as possible that would also require businesses to provide shaded or air-conditioned rest areas, improved medical services and training on heat-related illnesses.

Other Texas Democrats including U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro, Collin Alred, Jasmine Crockett, Lloyd Doggett, Shelia Jackson Lee and Marc A. Veasey signed the letter. Vermont independent Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with the Democrats, also signed on.

The letter comes as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s House Bill 2127 — which  would bar municipalities from enacting certain types of business-applicable laws, including those requiring employers to allow water breaks — is set to take effect Sept 1. Both Houston and San Antonio have sued to challenge the bill, which would prohibit cities and counties from enacting regulations that go further than those already adopted at the state level.

“Bought-and-paid-for politicians like Gov. Greg Abbott are stripping workers of their right to a water break in the middle of a historic heat wave. It’s insane,” Casar said in a written statement. “Democrats are going to stand up for common sense and for working people — while Greg Abbott will be on the wrong side of history. President Biden has the opportunity to protect workers and save lives.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, at least 42 outdoor Texas workers died between 2011 and 2021 from environmental exposure, as previously reported by the Current. However, that number likely represents an undercount since it doesn’t include heart attacks, experts said.

The mother of a San Antonio construction worker who died of a heat stroke while on the job last year filed a $1 million lawsuit against her son’s employer.

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This article appears in Jul 12-25, 2023.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...