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Comment by denimnerd42 | Hacker News Reader

Is this specific regulation really an issue? I understand heat related deaths do occur but is it because they are not allowed water breaks every 4!! hours?

If you're working out there in 115+ heat index like June, July, August, September bring you're going to need a water break every 20-40 minutes, especially decked out in full PPE. I don't see overseers out there driving these Hispanic laborers to work 8 hours straight. They can take a break whenever they want, after all who is going to stop them. They need the job done right?

This seems like the type of regulation pushed by those who never have worked out in the heat before. Who in their right mind would even waste time passing a mandatory once every 4 hour water break? That's useless.

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I agree the common sense around this issue seems to be lacking. I think this issue is more of a political lightning rod for those who "hate workers" vs those who "want government to control everything."

> I don't see overseers out there driving these Hispanic laborers to work 8 hours straight.

Are you joking?

I haven’t seen it either. Where have you seen or heard about it?

Sure, fine, I'll do the googling for you:

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/Even...

> That kind of heat exhaustion is common for construction workers in Texas, nearly 40 percent of whom say they are not given regular breaks on job sites, even in the heat of the summer, according to surveys by the Workers Defense Project.

...

> According to a Workers Defense Project report from 2017, more than a third of workers in Houston reported that they did not receive any rest breaks during the past work week

Seriously, did you think these laws--which are on the books right now--simply come out of nowhere?

Thanks for that. The worker in the article doesn’t say that a foreman forced her to work without a break explicitly:

> Cruz, 46, said she had not been able to take a break all day because of the pressure to finish the job

The article also links a report I can’t download due to too many redirects so I’m not able to determine how many workers were surveyed etc

> The worker in the article doesn’t say that a foreman forced her to work without a break explicitly

Okay, so because it doesn't specifically use those words, you'll just disregard the statistics cited?

And that's ignoring the fact that worker intimidation is rarely so explicit.

Not much point continuing to discuss if the confirmation bias is that strong.

> The article also links a report I can’t download due to too many redirects so I’m not able to determine how many workers were surveyed etc

Does that matter?

Your claim is it never happens. I cited a study that says it clearly does.

So now we're at the nitpicking the statistical analysis phase? Oh no, maybe it's actually 30% plus or minus 10% 19 times out of 20 because of sampling errors and that somehow invalidates the fundamental point that yes, in fact labourers do experience this type of abuse? Thanks, I'll pass.

Once again: did you think these bylaws got passed for no reason at all?

Edit: but you know, here, I'll do the work, anyway, and give you the 2023 report:

https://workersdefense.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Build-...

They surveyed over 1,000 labourers, by far enough to generate a valid statistical sample. 28% of US born workers reported no breaks. Among undocumented workers that number rose to 46%.

Yeah I see the 2023 report but still can’t seem to find the actual source for the data. Which is unfortunate.

Also:

> Your claim is it never happens

I did not make that claim. Please see my literal written words and do not misconstrue them to fit an imaginary argument we aren’t actually having. I think you are getting far too overexcited

> Please see my literal written words and do not misconstrue them to fit an imaginary argument we aren’t actually having.

Then what exactly are you trying to achieve?

Because you thus far seem unwilling to acknowledge that these laws have been passed to solve a real labour abuse problem, and that is, of course, the original disagreement that spawned this entire thread:

> I don't see overseers out there driving these Hispanic laborers to work 8 hours straight.

...

> I haven’t seen it either. Where have you seen or heard about it?

Do employers always pay for these breaks, or do they garnish wages?

I'm not some construction expert here in Texas but from what I observe most laborers are working under a sub contractor or levels of sub contractor and are usually paid a daily rate.

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