In Battle Over Direction of Texas, an Unlikely Casualty: Water Breaks
As the heat index hit 115 degrees on Monday, Karla Perez took a five-minute water break at a construction site in Dallas. Such rest breaks are required by the city, as they are in Austin.
But a change in Texas state law, which goes into effect in September, will wipe away those local requirements, leaving workers like Ms. Perez to count on their employers to provide time to rest and rehydrate. Right now, she gets three breaks a day. She dreads what the change might bring.
“Workers are going to die,” she said. “There’s no way around it.”
The legal change was part of a sweeping effort by the Republican-dominated State Legislature to exert control over its Democratic-led major cities, which have become increasingly assertive in pushing progressive policies at the local level.
The new law, labeled “the Death Star” by its Democratic opponents, would pre-empt a broad swath of ordinances, including those affecting labor, agriculture and natural resources. It is expected to nullify regulations such as those dealing with payday lending, puppy mills, certain sanitation requirements and other practices.
Source: The New York Times
