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Union safety advocates and industry groups give competing views on proposed extreme-temperature worker protections
Summary
Witnesses told the House Committee on General and Housing competing stories: trade groups warned proposed temperature rules would burden solo delivery and service workers and impose equipment costs; union and labor advocates urged the rules to prevent injuries and freezing of safety equipment; contractors pushed voluntary training.
On March 26, 2026, the House Committee on General and Housing heard three public witnesses with sharply different perspectives on proposed extreme-temperature workplace protections.
Matt Kota, who represents four industry trade groups including fuel dealers and heating‑and‑cooling contractors, urged lawmakers not to pass the proposed rules. He told the committee that many technicians work alone, make late‑night deliveries in subzero conditions and routinely step out of trucks for short periods to monitor fuel fills. Kota said the industry records very few complaints (he cited six complaints over six years for extreme temperatures) and argued rules that hinge on a 15‑minute threshold or require wet‑bulb devices would create unnecessary expense and disruption for solo workers.
Union leader Curtis Kloff, president of Team Local 597, told the committee the absence of clear temperature protections is a worker‑safety gap. Kloff cited national studies and one 2025 analysis that found injury risk rises where states lack occupational heat rules and said Vermont workers are particularly vulnerable to unseasonal heat because they are less acclimatized. He also described cold‑weather risks in warehousing—he said eyewash stations and emergency equipment can and do freeze—and argued regulatory standards are needed to ensure consistent protections for nonunion as well as union employees.
Richard Wabi, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Vermont, urged caution and emphasized that many employers are already providing training and written plans. He warned the committee that a broad temperature standard would affect construction, agriculture, warehousing, transportation and other sectors and described AGC’s voluntary contractor compliance guidance and multi‑topic training sessions the association is running.
Committee members asked witnesses for specifics. Witnesses offered concrete examples: Kota explained typical delivery practices (stand near the fill port until the whistle stops); Kloff described repeated freezing of eyewash stations at a UPS facility that sometimes are repaired only intermittently; Wabi said his association represents some 220–230 contractors and conducts training on wet‑bulb measurements and extreme‑temperature plans.
No legislative action was taken at the hearing; the committee noted a proposed internal amendment and temporarily adjourned. The testimony reflected a central tension for lawmakers: balancing worker protections and predictable standards against practical operational concerns and costs raised by small rural employers and solo technicians.
