WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) joined Rep. Greg Casar (TX-35) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-08) in leading 74 other Members of Congress in calling on the United States Postal Service (USPS) to immediately implement the nation’s first-ever federal heat rule, recently proposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Letter carriers have reported systemic heat illness issues, resulting in multiple deaths:
- July 6, 2018, Woodland Hills, CA: Peggy Frank died in a non-air-conditioned mail truck. The temperature hit a record-setting high of 115.
- July 22, 2020, Washington, DC: Louise Franklin died in a non-air-conditioned vehicle. The high temperature was 94 degrees, and the heat index was 104.
- June 17, 2021, San Jose, CA: Dalvir Bassi died from a heat stroke. The temperature was 94 degrees.
- June 20, 2023, Dallas, TX: Eugene Gates died when the temperature hit 98 degrees with a heat index of 116.
- June 6, 2024, Fayetteville, NC: Wendy Johnson died shortly after a shift working in an un-airconditioned vehicle in 95 degrees.
The 77 members of Congress released a letter today urging USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to “choose action over delay” and save lives by implementing the federal heat protections in his workforce now. With USPS failing to protect so many of its own employees, themembers lay out a simple solution: begin following the federal heat rule proposed by the Biden-Harris Administration immediately.
The letter urges DeJoy to:
- Immediately implement the proposed standards in OSHA’s workplace heat rule.
- Address systemic falsification of records related to heat illness prevention training.
- Prioritize postal vehicle repair and replacement in areas where extreme weather can impact letter carriers’ safety.
“While the standards in the proposed rule are currently optional, the final rule will have the effect of law when published by OSHA,” the members wrote. “In the interim, the Postal Service is still required to protect its workers from extreme heat and can guarantee that they are meeting this duty with these standards.”
Rep. Chu, a longstanding advocate for worker safety and the author of H.R. 4897, the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act of 2023, which seeks to implement federal heat stress protections, released the following statement:
“As climate change drives record-breaking summer temperatures across the United States, the risk of heat-related illness and death among U.S. Postal Service letter carriers has grown more dire than ever. I thank the Biden-Harris Administration and OSHA for issuing a proposed rule, modeled after my Asuncion Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act, that will protect workers from heat. But this rule will take time to implement, and it is evident that the Postal Service must immediately take stronger measures to protect the health and well-being of its workforce,” said Rep. Chu. “USPS should immediately implement the standards in OSHA’s proposed rule on Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in both outdoor and indoor work environments. Protecting workers from high heat temperatures is crucial to prevent serious health risks.”
The letter is signed byU.S. RepresentativesAlma S. Adams, Ph.D (NC-12), Gabe Amo (RI-01), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Brendan Boyle (PA-02), Cori Bush (MO-01), Yadira Caraveo, M.D. (CO-08), Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), Greg Casar (TX-35), Sean Casten (IL-06), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-24), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Lou Correa (CA-46), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10), Jesús “Chuy” Garcia (IL-03), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Bill Keating (MA-09), Tim Kennedy (NY-26), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Andy Kim (NJ-03), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Greg Landsman (OH-01), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Summer Lee (PA-12), Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Grace Meng (NY-06), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Katie Porter (CA-47), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Adam Schiff (CA-30), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Adam Smith (WA-09), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Dina Titus (NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Paul D. Tonko (NY-20), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), Maxine Waters (CA-14), Bonnie WatsonColeman (NJ-12), Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24).
The full letter can be viewed here.
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