Washington State’s new cooling law protects farm workers. But do they know about it?

Renters in Washington State now have expanded rights to air conditioning under a state law that recently went into effect. Awareness of the law, however, has yet to reach the farmworker community, which could benefit from the new protections. “Honestly, we didn’t hear much,” said Edgar Franks of Familias Unidas Por La Justicia, a farmworker union. “It wasn’t on our radar.” As extreme heat worsens in the Pacific Northwest due to fossil fuel pollution, experts argue that right-to-cooling laws could save lives in a region where air conditioners aren’t traditionally common and where many farmworkers rent their homes. SB 6200, which Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed in March, makes it illegal for most landlords to charge for air-conditioning units or to forbid renters and mobile home residents from installing them. But it seems awareness of these protections has yet to make it to communities that need them the most. Farm-worker-turned-advocate Rosalinda Guillen said the uptick in immigration enforcement activity under the Trump administration has slowed down efforts to organize farmworkers in Washington, which helps explain why she had not heard of the bill until she was interviewed for this story. “I haven’t seen or heard anything about it locally in the state,” she said. “I think everybody’s too busy because even in the urban areas, ICE is just everywhere. I don’t know when they’re going to be able to focus on it.” Washington’s effort to make air conditioning a renter’s right is part of a growing trend as heat waves grow more frequent and dangerous. Oregon passed a similar law in 2022. Last year, the Los Angeles County board of supervisors and New York City Council also passed laws that will require landlords to ensure adequate cooling. In Arizona, legislators passed a 2024 law after a five-year effort to codify the right of mobile homeowners to install cooling units. Mobile homes are also a popular housing choice for Washington state farmworkers, said David Morales, managing attorney at the Farmworker Unit at the Northwest Justice Project. “This means more people will have access to cooling,” he said. “There will be less people suffering the health consequences of not being able to cool down.” Like Guillen, he had not heard of the law until asked about it for an interview. He said the organization will now update the materials it distributes to reflect the new rights of mobile home owners and renters. Although Washington’s law exempts employer-provided housing for seasonal agricultural workers, this form of housing is regulated under the state’s Department of Housing, which states that dwellings should be kept at or below 90 degrees Fahrenheit. However, Franks said housing at farmworker camps often gets hot — and air conditioning is not usually available. The 2021 heat dome over the Pacific Northwest directly and indirectly killed over 400 people in Washington, where only 66% of homes have cooling, compared to 90% or more in most other states. “Cooling isn’t a luxury but a lifesaving necessity,” said Erika Lundahl, policy manager at Spark Northwest, an advocacy group that championed the bill. The need for nighttime cooling Every year, extreme heat kills an estimated 9,000 people in the U.S., according to a new investigation from NPR and Boston University. Outdoor workers, such as people in construction or agriculture, face a higher risk. More than half of the 202 farmworkers who responded to a survey from the Washington State Institute for Public Policy in 2025 said they sometimes felt sick enough from the heat that they needed a doctor. “There’s not a whole lot of shade out there depending on what kind of farm they’re in,” said Cory Briar, a senior research associate who led the report. “You’re talking about a whole other level of dehydration and exhaustion and exposure to elements out there.” Another study showed that in the 2010s, nearly 34,000 outdoor workers in the U.S. experienced heat-related illness or injury. Nearly a thousand have died since 1992. Farmworkers especially need a break after hours of toiling beneath the sun, said James Moschella, the climate and health program manager for Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility. “No one goes to the beach five days in a row and comes home and thinks to themself, ‘Wow, I haven’t gotten enough sun,’” he said. “Being cool at home is really important.” He worries about nighttime temperatures, too, which are rising faster globally than daytime temperatures. “Nighttime heat can be just as impactful as daytime heat to a body,” Moschella said. “We want to make sure that you can sleep safely and comfortably.” Who bears the burden? Farmworkers are less likely than their peers to seek medical care, said Lundahl of Spark Northwest, due to economic or immigration concerns. In Washington, the new law puts the burden on tenants to purchase cooling units and cover the increased energy costs. If a landlord gives them trouble, they also have to carry the burden of fighting back. First, however, they need to know the law exists. “For some of the farmworkers, they’re not going to complain to their landlord about this at this point,” Guillen said. “They’re just not. The fear of ICE is too heavy.” Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.