Senator Padilla Introduces Legislation to Expand Farmworker Sick Leave to Include Climate-Fueled Hazardous Weather Conditions
SACRAMENTO – Yesterday, Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) introduced Senate Bill 1105, a measure to allow California farmworkers to use sick time when weather conditions prove too hazardous to work.
2023 was the warmest year 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 would 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. Upon the declaration of an emergency, the bill would require the Division of Occupational Safety and Health to make a determination if the conditions make it dangerous for agricultural employees to work outside in that region and issue a notice of that determination. 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.
“California farmworkers are the very lifeblood of our society, working in conditions few dare face to put food on the table for not only their families, but families across the world,” said Senator Padilla. “Climate change now threatens their health more than ever before. We must do everything we can to adapt our policies to ensure their wellbeing is protected.”
SB 1105 will be heard in the Senate in the coming months.
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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/