{"id":65890,"date":"2026-08-13T14:11:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T18:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/?post_type=press_releases&p=65890"},"modified":"2026-08-25T10:41:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T14:41:36","slug":"ufcw-failing-on-heat-labor-standards-would-be-another-betrayal-of-workers-after-hottest-month-on-record","status":"publish","type":"press_releases","link":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/press-releases\/ufcw-failing-on-heat-labor-standards-would-be-another-betrayal-of-workers-after-hottest-month-on-record\/","title":{"rendered":"UFCW: Failing on Heat Labor Standards Would Be Another Betrayal of Workers After Hottest Month on Record"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NOAA confirms July as hottest month on record, raising urgency to protect workers from extreme heat, both indoors and outdoors<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 <\/strong>Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW)<\/u><\/a><\/strong>, which represents 1.2 million essential workers across North America, released a statement in response to a report<\/u><\/a> from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that shows July as the hottest month since records began<\/u><\/a> \u2013 beating the Dust Bowl in 1936. This comes after reporting<\/u><\/a> revealed the Trump administration is planning to reverse heat standards from the U.S. Department of Labor and roll back heat safety enforcement from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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UFCW International President Milton Jones<\/strong> said: <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u201cWhether a UFCW member works in harvesting at a meatpacking plant in the summertime or fulfilling grocery orders outside in the sun, heat poses a potentially fatal risk to every worker. Common sense policies to protect workers from extreme temperatures would save<\/u><\/a> hundreds of lives a year, yet only seven states have implemented a heat standard. Despite the progress made to establish a federal standard, the Trump administration has made it clear that it intends to side with big businesses fighting these protections rather than workers in danger of heat-related illness and death.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u201cWe have just lived through the hottest month on record. Workers urgently need standards and accountability from their employers as summer temperatures last longer and become more intense. But without a federal standard, many employers do not offer the breaks, hydration, and resources needed. The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have an opportunity to do the right thing instead of bowing to special interests and leaving workers at risk. It is not too late to reverse course and implement a national heat standard that protects every working person in this new climate reality.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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###<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The UFCW International is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.2 million workers and their families in grocery, meatpacking, food processing, healthcare, cannabis, retail, and other essential industries. UFCW members serve our communities in all 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at\u202f<\/em>ufcw.org<\/u><\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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CONTACT:<\/strong> Finn Storer press@ufcw.org<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NOAA confirms July as hottest month on record, raising urgency to protect workers from extreme heat, both indoors and outdoors WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), which represents 1.2 million essential workers across North America, released a statement in response to a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":436,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[449,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65890","press_releases","type-press_releases","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-official-statements","category-press-releases"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUFCW: Failing on Heat Labor Standards Would Be Another Betrayal of Workers After Hottest Month on Record - The United Food & Commercial Workers International Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"UFCW: Failing on Heat Labor Standards Would Be Another Betrayal of Workers After Hottest Month on Record\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/press-releases\/ufcw-failing-on-heat-labor-standards-would-be-another-betrayal-of-workers-after-hottest-month-on-record\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UFCW: Failing on Heat Labor Standards Would Be Another Betrayal of Workers After Hottest Month on Record - 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