(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Biden wants to save workers from heat death. Republicans, on the other hand ... [1] ['Daily Kos Staff'] Date: 2024-07-02 Heat-related deaths set a record in the U.S. in 2023, and 2024 is shaping up to be worse. For now, we have a president who is doing something about it, but the right-wing Supreme Court could stop him. President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing a rule to protect workers from extreme heat. It “would establish the nation’s first-ever federal safety standard addressing excessive heat in the workplace,” the Biden administration said in a statement. “If finalized, OSHA projects the rule would affect approximately 36 million workers and substantially reduce heat injuries, illnesses, and deaths in the workplace,” the administration continued. Teresa Romero, president of United Farm Workers, told Politico this is “a bittersweet moment,” given the heat-related deaths of so many workers. “Today, the federal government put itself on the right side of history by seeking, for the first time, to establish the precedent that every worker in America has the right to shade, water and rest while working in temperatures that could kill them,” she said. That is, if it’s enacted—a very big if. Last week, the Supreme Court cleared the way for industry to step in and kill this—and any other regulation—in the courts before it can be put in effect. The court overturned 40 years of precedent that gave federal agencies the power to interpret and enforce ambiguous laws, like the laws governing OSHA’s ability to protect workers. Given their druthers, the conservatives on the Supreme Court likely would do away with OSHA entirely. The other big if is this election. The rule likely couldn’t be finalized until 2026, unless Biden decides to go “unitary executive theory” here and decree the rule in effect as an official action—with the court’s blessing, of course. (And he’s not going to do that.) If Donald Trump is in the White House in 2025, this anti-heat-death rule will be swept away, along with every other workplace protection in effect. The Project 2025 blueprint created for Trump by the Heritage Foundation demands it. Saying the 2024 election is existential is not hyperbole. If you don’t want to melt to death, elect Democrats. Please give $10 to each of these Daily Kos-endorsed candidates today! RELATED STORIES: A rogue Supreme Court awaits its king With heat waves, an increased risk for heart problems, new research shows Justice Kagan: Conservative majority on Supreme Court 'grasps for power' [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/7/2/2250699/-Biden-wants-to-save-workers-from-heat-death-Republicans-on-the-other-hand?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_4&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/