Workers Die in Texas Heat as Greg Abbott's Water Break Ban Comes Under Fire

A Texas postal worker collapsed and died on Tuesday amid the stifling heat that has hit the state in recent weeks—an incident that's likely to exacerbate criticism of Gov. Greg Abbott's recent water break ban.

The man, identified as Eugene Gates Jr., collapsed in a front yard on Tuesday while going door to door in the extreme heat of Dallas, where temperatures have reached 115 F. A homeowner went outside to perform CPR on Gates, but he died.

While the official cause of his death has not yet been determined, the heat index in Dallas on Tuesday reached the highest in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 1980.

On June 21, officials reported that another worker, a 35-year-old utility lineman from West Virginia, died from heat-related causes while "working to restore power in Texas," as reported by More Perfect Union, a news platform covering workers' rights issues.

"Texas is experiencing temps over 100 degrees. Just last week Greg Abbott signed the 'Death Star' bill that will eliminate protections like rest and water breaks for workers across the state," More Perfect Union wrote on Twitter.

The man's name was not immediately released. The deaths of the two workers come at a time when Texas is experiencing a dangerous heat wave, with temperatures over 100 Fin many parts of the state last week, adding pressure on Texas' power grid and putting millions under extreme heat warnings.

The state's Republican governor, Greg Abbott, has recently come under fire from Texas Democrats and workers' rights advocates after cutting mandatory water breaks for construction workers in the state.

On June 13, Abbott signed into law a measure rescinding city and county ordinances requiring mandatory water breaks for construction workers in the same week when many cities across the state reached triple-digit temperatures.

Among the targets of the law—which extends to several issues involving state and local jurisdiction—there are mandated breaks ordered by the city of Austin in 2010 and Dallas in 2015 which required construction workers to take a 10-minute break every four hours to drink water and protect themselves from the sun. The measure, House Bill 2127, will come into force on September 1, officially nullifying the previously existing laws.

Supporters of the bill say it will help rein in local and county officials who have exceeded their authority and give small businesses consistency. Newsweek has contacted Abbott's media team for comment by email.

The move was criticized by Texas Democrats, who said that they disagreed with the bill "on more than just the devastating substantive impacts it would have on some of Texas' most economically industrious municipalities," as written in a statement shared with Newsweek.

"We disagree with it on the principle as well," they added. "Governor Abbott and Texas Republicans have for time immemorial spoken about the need to govern from the most local level possible—and we agree. We trust that community leaders know their communities far better than Texas Republicans at the Capitol do, and local decisions should be made by local school districts, cities, and counties—local leaders, mayors, and county judges who know their jurisdictions best."

The deaths of the two men are likely to add pressure on Abbott to reverse the recent law, as criticism against the bill grows. The Texas Union commented on the death of the utility man saying: "This is Texas under HB 2127. Banning required rest breaks for construction workers in the Texas heat is deadly. Our hearts are with the family of this worker."

Texas American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also grieved the death of the workers while condemning Abbott's bill. The group wrote on Twitter: "A U.S. postal worker and a utility lineman both died this week in Texas from working in extreme heat. Meanwhile, Gov. Abbott just signed #HB2127 banning cities from mandating rest and water breaks for certain workers. Abbott is once again putting Texans in harm's way."