No federal heat standard? NYC workers are building their own safety net.

This story is about worker safety in extreme heat, not home energy upgrades, so it does not have a direct connection to planning retrofits or finding rebates. Still, it touches on how cities and workplaces are responding to the same rising summer temperatures that make home cooling and efficiency a growing concern.

The article reports that the U.S. has no federal rule requiring employers to protect workers from heat, and a proposed rule from the Biden administration has stalled. In response, cities like New York are stepping in. Last month, Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed an executive order to protect outdoor workers from heat illness, and the city activated an emergency heat plan ahead of a Fourth of July heat wave that pushed temperatures near 100 degrees. That plan included hundreds of cooling centers and outreach vans for wellness checks, along with pop-up cooling stations for street vendors done in partnership with groups like the Street Vendor Project.

Labor unions are also pushing for protections on their own. UPS drivers, represented by the Teamsters, won a 2023 contract requiring air conditioning in new delivery trucks, though workers say the cargo areas can still get dangerously hot. Advocates note that many outdoor workers, including delivery couriers and street vendors, face real barriers to taking breaks, whether it is lost wages from delivery apps or fear of leaving unattended carts. City officials say more multilingual outreach on heat safety is planned as hot days continue this summer.