People who work outside in the city of Chicago are a step closer to being covered - literally and figuratively - by new protections designed to keep them safe when it gets hot.
A Chicago City Council committee gave preliminary approval Monday to a measure that would require employers starting in 2027 to provide a shaded place to rest and iced water for any employees who work outside, such as landscapers, roofers and even airline ground crews.
The beginning of autumn may not seem like the best time to talk about heat wave protection, but this measure from Rogers Park alderwoman Maria Hadden has been floating around City Hall for two years.
"We don't have to wait for something to become a problem, especially not when it comes to worker health and safety," she said during today's hearing of the Workforce Development Committee.
She acknowledged that numbers of heat-related illnesses on jobsites are low right now, but predicted they will rise as climate change makes summers hotter, and urged colleagues to ensure that employees will remain safe in extreme conditions.
"We know worker protections are under assault at the federal level, and so is climate science," Hadden (49th Ward) said.
Before the vote, business interests rose in opposition to the measure, which Hadden said was designed to not create any more costs for companies.
Mary Kay Minaghan spoke on behalf of an organization of women-owned construction companies. She told committee members the proposal duplicates many of the heat safety guidelines they already follow: "This ordinance doesn't really add any new protections."
That was echoed by American Airlines lobbyist Rachel Dame, who also said following the guidelines laid out in the ordinance could cause operational issues.
"We're also fixing a problem that doesn't exist," Dame said, "and the data shows that."
Committee members voted eight-to-two to endorse the ordinance.
It's now set to be considered by the full City Council on September 25.