Arizonans call for state leaders to take action to protect workers from extreme heat
Adrik Vargas
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – More than 1,500 Arizonans are calling for stronger protections for workers facing extreme heat.
The Arizona Heat Standards Coalition delivered a petition to Governor Katie Hobbs’ office Tuesday, pushing for enforceable rules on water, shade, and breaks for farmworkers, construction workers, and welders.
“We need to act now to prevent the death of all of these workers,” said Jazmin Moreno, a steering committee member.
She added, “I hope that this forces the task force to collectively come up with an enforceable heat standard that is genuinely going to be in force and is going to have the basic requirements that farmworkers, that construction workers, that welders need.”
Official numbers report only one heat-related farmworker death in Yuma in 2023, but Moreno says the real toll is unaccounted for.
“Numbers surrounding death, numbers surrounding illness are extremely vague…we also know that undocumented communities don’t go in to receive medical care after, you know, having a heat stroke or heat illness, they often don’t go reported, if they do pass away,” Moreno added.
University of Arizona research shows Yuma County alone is home to 81% of the state’s crop workers, about 65,000 people.
“It’s called the Arizona Farm Worker Enumeration Profile Study…it was both qualitative and quantitative. But what we ended up doing is just creating a baseline number of farmworkers,” said Priscila Ruedas, a U of A research program officer.
The petition delivery sends the clear message that Arizonans want urgent action.