With another Labor Day behind us, as we reflect on the struggles and victories of working people, Chicago faces a new and urgent test: protecting outdoor workers from deadly heat. Another summer of record-breaking temperatures has made it clear that our city cannot wait any longer to act.
Chicago has always been at the forefront of labor rights. From the Haymarket affair to the Pullman strike, Chicago has never shied away from fights advancing worker protections. Today, we are faced with a federal administration that is adamant in rolling back worker protections. We are called upon once again to take the lead and protect our working class from an oppressive presidential regime.
Heat is the deadliest weather event, a silent killer that claims more lives each year than hurricanes, tornadoes and floods combined. Chicago is on track to experience an average of 38 days per year where temperatures exceed 92.5 degrees by 2050; more than double the average of 17 days per year now.
With Chicago anticipating an uptick in high heat conditions, outdoor workers are especially vulnerable to the risks that come with extreme temperatures. It is estimated that an average of 2,000 workers die each year due to heat-related exposure. Another 170,000 workers are injured due to heat-related stress every year. The economic toll of this is staggering, costing the U.S. economy more than $100 billion annually. But the human cost is even greater. Underpaid Black and Brown workers bear the brunt of lacking workplace protections, suffering heat-related injuries at five times the rate of higher-income workers.
Without any state or federal provisions in place, Chicago needs to set new standards for protecting workers’ health in the face of changing climate conditions. That’s why in September 2023, we introduced the Heat Illness Prevention in Outdoor Places of Employment Ordinance. This ordinance creates common-sense protections for preventing heat-related illnesses for outdoor workers: requiring employers to provide outdoor workers with water, access to shade, allowing cool-down breaks when workers experience symptoms of heat stress and extra precautions during extreme heat waves. The ordinance also requires annual training so employers and workers alike can recognize and respond to the warning signs of heat illness.
As 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the devastating 1995 heat wave — when more than 700 Chicagoans senselessly lost their lives — the urgency to act is undeniable. Climate change is no longer a distant threat; it is already reshaping our summers. The city of Chicago must meet this reality with deliberate, swift and lifesaving action.
Chicago’s legacy is grounded in fighting for workers’ rights. Let’s honor and continue that legacy by ensuring that no one has to risk their health or their life for simply going to work. We cannot let another summer go by without action to protect our outdoor workers from the danger of extreme heat. The City Council must pass the Heat Illness Prevention in Outdoor Places of Employment Ordinance now —countless lives depend on it.
Ald. Maria Hadden (49th) is the chair of the City Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy, and Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22nd) is the chair of the Committee on Workforce Development.