Americans across the country are facing hotter and more dangerous working conditions every year. As extreme heat arrives earlier and becomes more frequent and intense, nobody should have to choose between earning a paycheck and protecting their health and safety.

Climate change is making extreme heat worse and temperatures continue to break records. This July was the hottest month in the contiguous United States in recorded history. Workers who spend their days outdoors or without adequate cooling are on the front lines of this growing threat.

While it may not leave the same photographic destruction in its wake, extreme heat is one of the deadliest forms of extreme weather. It can cause heat exhaustion, heat stroke, organ damage, and death. Workers are often expected to keep working through dangerous temperatures without proper protection or training to recognize the warning signs of heat illness.

Our community sees the impacts of extreme heat in every part of our lives, including at our jobs. From food service workers who deal with increasing outdoor and indoor temperatures while dealing with intense heat in kitchens, to public servants who are working to help their communities adapt to these new challenges, to healthcare workers who increasingly see patients in their hospitals suffering from the impacts of extreme heat.

We must act now. Higher temperatures can increase demand for emergency services, strain electric grids, damage infrastructure, and make it harder for working class Americans to do their jobs in a safe and healthy environment.

We call on Congress to:
- Protect workers from extreme heat by establishing strong, enforceable workplace heat safety standards.
- Invest in communities and workplaces so they can prepare for and withstand extreme heat and other climate-related hazards.
- Fund FEMA and other federal disaster preparedness programs so communities have the resources they need before extreme heat and other disasters strike.
- Invest in clean energy, resilient infrastructure, and other solutions that improve community resilience while cutting climate pollution to address the root cause of worsening extreme weather: climate change.

Every worker deserves a safe workplace.