Alexandra Olson and Wyatte Grantham-philips – AP
Due to hazardous haze created by Canadian wildfires, a dismal orange tint has forced cancellations of sporting events, school trips, and Broadway plays along the U.S. East Coast.
West Coast delivery workers, farmers, airport employees, railway workers, and construction workers all know the dangers of massive wildfires. The smoke in the East was so unusual that many workers did not know about it.
Smoke inhalation was a surprise for some, and they quit midday. However, most people fought through the smoke as it cleared.
Yes, but they’re not.
The smokey blanket that billows from wildfires across Quebec and Nova Scotia continues to be a problem. It may continue through the weekend, due to an inefficient weather system.
New York City Public Schools is using remote teaching for Friday classes. Philadelphia suspended trash pickup, street cleaning and repairs to protect its workers. In most elementary and secondary schools, a day of clerical work was scheduled.
Labor rights groups in California, and other Western states, demanded greater protection.
The food delivery crews in New York City were out on the streets Thursday despite an alert indicating “Code Red”.
Bimal, a 43-year-old diner chef, was feeling dizzy after working that morning. He tried to deliver food for Grubhub in the afternoon on Wednesday. After a few hours, Bimal Jhale had somewhat recovered and was able to try again.
Jhale spoke through an interpreter from Justice for App Workers in Hindi.
Grubhub’s spokesperson said drivers would not be penalized if they did not complete deliveries because of their safety concerns. Those with existing conditions are advised to remain inside.
Recently, the labor departments of California, Oregon, Washington and other states have passed rules that employers must provide protection against smoke from wildfires, such as N95 respiratory masks, rest breaks, or moving work indoors. In a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, in 2021, allowed farmworkers the access to N95 Mask Stockpile.
While smoke from wildfires has travelled across the continent in the recent past to the East Coast of the United States, the conditions last week were exceptionally severe. Although there is little official information on wildfires across the East Coast, no standards are set by federal agencies. Employers must still ensure that their worksite remains safe to prevent workers from being exposed to wildfire smoke.
A recent study found that wildfire smoke drifting through the air can cause workers to lose 0.1% of their quarterly income each day. That’s $125 Billion a year.
Mark Borgschulte (an assistant professor of economics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) and Mark Borgschulte as one of its authors, stated that the smoke’s effect on earnings, or the income of labor markets, goes beyond just the bad days. When air pollution levels are high, it is not uncommon to see heart attacks. The long-term effects can be severe.
In the short-term, wildfire smoke can lead to hospitalizations and deaths of vulnerable people. According to scientists, smoke exposure is also associated with long-term problems such as decreased lung function and immune system weakness, along with higher rates of flu.
Labor activists find it difficult to enforce rules even when they are already in place.
Tony Cardwell is the president of America’s third-largest railroad union. He says that in spite of new wildfire regulations, rail companies are still fighting over California worker protections. Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division which represents workers in track maintenance is sending an email to East Coast railroads to demand protections. These include air quality monitoring, rescheduling of work, and other measures.
Amtrak provided N95 and KN95 face masks to its employees. Work that was not critical and required employees to work outdoors in dangerous air areas has been postponed. Norfolk Southern has a spokesperson who said they monitor air quality in the area and provide N95 face masks for workers when required.
Other companies also took similar measures.
Delta Air Lines crews come inside during the period between aircraft turns. When a plane approaches the gate before the subsequent flight takes off, the ground crews of the company will move indoors.
Alex Kopp’s letter sent to the members of The Association of Union Contractors expressed concern about air pollution and its impact on safety at the job site. He recommended members take appropriate precautions. He did acknowledge that “the air quality is a challenge right now.”
Despite warnings from the public to remain indoors, Local 3 IBEW – an AFL/CIO affiliate union representing electrical workers in New York – reported that only two work sites had closed on Wednesday because of air quality problems.
It was up to workers to manage the risk on their behalf.
Victor Aucapina pulled the T-shirt over his head between each bite while renovating his Brooklyn house. Aucapina kept his young children at home on Wednesday despite the fact that they were the only breadwinners for the family.
The sky had turned yellow and there was a strong smell of burning wood in the air.
He says he did not think the smell and smoke would be that bad. But now, he can feel it. The respirator may be brought if the conditions are not improved, but for him to miss work “would be his last option.”
The dangers posed by fires of such size were not immediately apparent to many.
Washington, D.C., worker Duckett didn’t know anything was amiss when he heard on Wednesday morning about the wildfires. Duckett kept working, even though a fellow worker was experiencing sinus pains due to smoke.
Duckett stated that they believed it to be a foggy day.
Duckett also expected that the sky would clear up in the late afternoon, as it did in New York.
The air quality warnings in the nation’s capital deteriorated Thursday. They went from “Code Red” down to “Code Purple”.
David Koenig, from Dallas, contributed to this report. Paul Wiseman, based in Washington, D.C., also contributed. Grantham Philips reported from Washington.
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