Texas Congressmember Greg Casar held an eight-hour thirst strike Tuesday on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C, to highlight the need for a federal workplace heat standard, which includes mandatory water breaks for workers. Over the course of the hot and humid day, where temperatures reached the high 80s, elected officials, advocates and workers spoke in support of legislation demanding heat protections. This is Fernando Arista, an electrical worker from Austin, speaking out against a recently passed Texas law banning water breaks.

Fernando Arista: “Proponents of this bill, they talk about business. They say it will help out business, and it will help out the Texas economy. Well, we workers are part of the Texas economy. And if it will help out businesses, it’ll help out businesses at the exploitation of workers.”

Up to 2,000 workers in the U.S. die every year from heat exposure.

In related news, Texas prisons recently raised the cost of bottled water sold in commissaries by 50% as incarcerated people endure an unrelenting heat wave without air conditioning. Prisoners say they have to buy water because the tap is unsafe, with one person likening it to sewage water.