CHICAGO – Days after a dangerous cold snap sent wind chills plunging to 32 degrees below zero across Illinois, state lawmakers are renewing their push for legislation that would protect workers forced to labor outside in extreme weather, saying last week’s deep freeze exposed a glaring gap in workplace safety law.
What we know:
The Workplace Extreme Temperature Safety Act, introduced by State Senator Robert Peters and State Representative Edgar Gonzalez Jr., would establish the first enforceable extreme temperature standards for Illinois workers.
Supporters say the bill is urgently needed after this week’s arctic blast, when schools closed, transit shut down, and cities opened warming centers while thousands of workers still had to show up to load baggage on frozen tarmacs, deliver packages, and work in warehouses that felt like refrigerators.
“These last few days made the stakes painfully clear, because it’s cold as hell outside,” Gonzalez said at a news conference announcing the bill. “Across the country, schools closed, transit shut down, cities opened warming centers. But thousands of workers still had to show up.”
Right now, Illinois has no state law setting temperature limits or requiring employers to protect workers from extreme cold or heat. That leaves gaps for workers who aren’t covered by union contracts or company policies, advocates say, and puts the burden on individual workers to speak up or walk off the job at the risk of retaliation.
“As the law stands now, I see no real protections for workers against extreme heat and cold conditions,” said Danya Moodabagil, an employment and labor attorney with Chicago Workers Collaborative. “Nothing that I can do to step in and help. Currently, there are no clear temperature thresholds, no extreme temperature PPE requirements, no temperature illness prevention.”
The bill would require employers to provide protective equipment like gloves, access to warming stations or cooling areas, rest breaks, and emergency protocols when temperatures hit certain levels.
According to lawmakers, the current version sets thresholds at 32 degrees on the low end, with stricter requirements kicking in at 10 degrees or below. On the high end, protections would trigger around 80 to 90 degrees.
Dangerous conditions:
Jim Lutz, a UPS worker at O’Hare International Airport with 35 years on the job, said he loads and unloads aircraft in all weather. Last weekend’s deep freeze was a stark reminder of what workers face with no legal protection.
“When it feels like 15 degrees below outside, people just can’t stop working when the weather is bad,” Lutz said. “You can dress in layers and do a lot of movement to make sure your body stays warm. The parts of your body, like your fingers go numb, your face stings from the cold.”
He said the economy depends on workers like him keeping planes on schedule and packages moving, but that shouldn’t mean risking frostbite or worse.
“I am proud of what I do, but I do not want to risk my life,” Lutz said.
Dave Wysocki, a 38-year member of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, said construction workers face brutal cold while hanging off the side of buildings or working inside unheated structures.
He pointed out that the materials workers use—concrete, chemicals, sealants—are often sheltered or temperature-controlled to prevent damage from extreme weather.
“If the industry recognizes that extreme temperatures can ruin materials, they must also recognize the undeniable harm that can cause our members doing the work,” Wysocki said.
The bill would apply to workers across industries, including construction, warehousing, delivery, sanitation, food service, and manufacturing. Supporters say the protections are especially critical for low-wage workers, temp workers, and workers of color, who often face the most dangerous conditions with the least power to push back.
Jill Medrique, executive director of Chicago Jobs with Justice, said she worked in freezers at Walmart before taking her current role. She said she had gloves with holes in them and no one monitoring how long she spent in the freezer or how many shifts in a row she worked there.
“This is personal for me just like it’s personal for all the workers that are going to work right now with two degree temperatures,” Medrique said.
Summer heat also a concern:
While this week’s cold snap has focused attention on winter hazards, supporters say extreme heat is just as dangerous and growing more frequent because of climate change.
Barry Rose, a bakery worker, described conditions where temperatures inside the facility reached 120 degrees on days when it was 100 degrees outside. When he went into a cold room to cool down after feeling sick, he said the company took video and tried to write him up.
“They had no compassion for the other workers,” Rose said. “We need to get this bill passed so we can have safety inside the building.”
Dr. Rachel Rubin, an occupational medicine physician and adjunct faculty at the University of Illinois School of Public Health, said she has treated workers with heat exhaustion, heat stroke, acute kidney injury from dehydration, frostbite, and cardiac events linked to temperature exposure on the job.
“Extreme temperatures are not just uncomfortable. They are dangerous and in some cases fatal,” Rubin said. “Almost all of these cases were entirely preventable.”
She said the risks fall the hardest on low-wage workers, outdoor workers, workers of color, immigrant workers, and those paid by the task who may feel pressure to keep working despite unsafe conditions. Many workers delay seeking care because they fear retaliation, lost wages, or job loss, she said.
The Natural Resources Defense Council projects that by 2050, the Midwest will see more than 200 million lost labor hours due to extreme temperatures.
Jonathan Sack, the group’s Midwest government affairs director, said Illinois has already seen average daily temperatures increase by one to two degrees Fahrenheit, and that will continue to rise.
“Climate change is not some far away or future health threat. It is harming Illinois workers now,” Sack said. “Our rapidly changing climate has been outstripping the ability of state and federal agencies to hold employers accountable.”
Federal protections stalled:
Supporters say the state legislation is necessary because the federal government has failed to act.
The Biden administration had been working on national heat standards through the Department of Labor, but those efforts stalled after the 2024 election. There are currently no federal enforceable standards for extreme heat or cold in the workplace.
“The federal government is leaving workers out in the cold, literally, but Illinois won’t,” Gonzalez said.
The bill would also include anti-retaliation protections so workers can refuse to work in unsafe conditions without fear of losing their jobs. It would allow workers to sue employers who violate the standards and would impose penalties on companies that fail to comply.
Anthony Driver Jr., executive director of SEIU Illinois State Council, which represents 160,000 members statewide, said the legislation is about whether the state believes human rights are universal or conditional.
“No one’s body is expendable. No one’s labor is disposable,” Driver said. “And no one is worth less just because of the job that they do.”
He cited SEIU members who work as crossing guards in extreme heat and cold, baggage handlers who go into airplane cargo holds where temperatures can be 20 degrees higher or lower than outside, and nursing assistants who care for vulnerable patients in facilities with poor climate control.
What’s next:
Peters, who chairs the Senate Labor Committee, said the legislation is a priority and he expects fierce opposition from industry groups. The bill was introduced last session but did not advance after pushback from manufacturers, retailers, airlines, utilities, and transit agencies.
Gonzalez said he anticipates even stronger opposition this time, but that the coalition supporting the bill has grown.
Backers include SEIU Illinois State Council, Teamsters Local 705, the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, Arise Chicago, Chicago Workers Collaborative, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Some companies already provide water breaks, warming centers, or protective equipment for workers, either as company policy or through collective bargaining agreements. But supporters say those protections are inconsistent and often don’t cover temp workers or employees without union representation.
“Nobody should ever have to worry about getting frostbite on the job or getting heat exhaustion on the job,” Peters said. “Workers are not something to be grounded up and disposed of. These are amazing people who have families and live a vibrant life. It’s our job to protect them, to give them the safety and dignity they deserve. This is a vital piece of legislation.”
The Illinois General Assembly’s spring session runs through May.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago’s Terrence Lee.
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