Governor Newsom Signs Senator Padilla’s Farmworker Protection Legislation Expanding Sick Leave for Climate-Fueled Hazardous Environmental Conditions
SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Newsom signed into law Senator Steve Padilla’s Senate Bill 1105 which allows California farmworkers to use sick time when environmental conditions prove too hazardous to work.
“California farmworkers put their bodies through incredible stress every day to feed families across the globe,” said Senator Padilla. “This law is critical as we adapt our policies to the impacts of climate change. Giving these workers the freedom and peace of mind to use their hard earned sick days to protect their health further adds to California’s landmark labor protections.”
Last year was the warmest ever recorded on Earth, according to an analysis by scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. As the climate has changed, the frequency of catastrophic climate-related weather events has risen, forcing communities to face challenges such as wildfires and smoke, deadly heat domes, record-breaking atmospheric rivers, and once-in-a-generation flooding. In analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency, scientists found communities of color or low-income groups are more likely to be vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change.
One group disproportionally exposed to such harmful elements are agricultural workers. Agricultural workers are 35 times more likely to die from heat-related stress than workers in any other industry in the United States, according to a study conducted at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. Extreme heat fueled by the changing climate as well as increased exposure to wildfire smoke due to intense drought will deeply impact these communities as well. In an analysis conducted by Mother Jones of the 168 farmworker deaths in California between 2018 and 2022, 83 of the 168 tragically lost their lives when temperatures in the surrounding area exceeded 80 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature that trigger’s California’s heat safety requirements.
Roughly 500,000 to 800,000 agricultural workers live in California (nearly half the entire national farmworker workforce) and produce over a third of the nation’s vegetable crop and almost two-thirds of the nationals fruit and nut crop annually, according to La Cooperativa Campesina de California. Agriculture is one of the state’s most important industries, contributing over $50 billion to the economy in 2021, and California farms export food across the globe.
While the state of California has taken some of the nation’s most proactive steps to adopt occupational safety standards related to heat and smoke, farmworkers need to know that during a climate emergency they are not forced to risk personal financial disaster by choosing their safety. SB 1105 will now prohibit employers from denying agricultural workers the right to use their sick days when local or state governments have declared an emergency due to smoke, heat, or flooding conditions. Allowing for farmworkers to use sick days to stay inside and protect themselves against harsh conditions would allow them to preserve and prioritize their health, preventing further negative health outcomes later on.
SB 1105 now becomes law on January 1st, 2025.
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Steve Padilla represents the 18th Senate District, which includes the communities of Chula Vista, Coachella, El Centro, Imperial Beach, National City, and San Diego. Prior to his election to the Senate in 2022, Senator Padilla was the first person of color ever elected to city office in Chula Vista, the first Latino Mayor, and the first openly LGBT person to serve or be elected to city office. Website of Senator Steve Padilla: https://sd18.senate.ca.gov/