LULAC advocating for construction crews to still receive mandatory work breaks
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) — As the temperature climbs past 100 degrees, roofers in a city just north of Houston are still hard at work.
"This is a very common practice," LULAC spokesperson David Cruz said.
The nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization represents many construction workers, and are thankful for cities like Dallas that take these conditions seriously.
Since 2015, a city ordinance has required 10-minute rest breaks every four hours for manual labor workers in the extreme heat.
"If you don't do that, you don't know what's going to happen on the job site," Cruz explained.
Dallas County Health Director Dr. Philip Huang said if there's not some sort of systematic process to make sure these breaks take place, than a lot of times they just don't happen.
"Getting adequate hydration and water, water breaks and taking those breaks is important," he said.
LULAC is now speaking out against Governor Greg Abbott for signing House Bill 2127 into law.
It says in recent years, several local jurisdictions have established their own regulations of commerce that are different than the state's.
The new law returns powers to the state, and supporters say it will alleviate being bogged down by local ordinances.
"Who wins when a worker gets hurt?" Cruz said. "This may be a right-to-work state but it's not a right-to-work-to-kill state."
The Hispanic Contractors Association, which represents hundreds of local construction companies, says it's not taking a stance.
Instead, they told CBS News Texas that their companies support providing a safe environment based on OSHA standards. Many start work shifts earlier and stop working when the heat index hits 105.
Moving forward, LULAC says it will be advocating for all construction companies to still give manual labor workers adequate breaks when they're outside. Again stressing it can save lives.