(C) Verite News New Orleans This story was originally published by Verite News New Orleans and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . New Orleans may soon affirm workers’ rights in city law [1] ['Katie Jane Fernelius', 'More Katie Jane Fernelius', 'Verite News'] Date: 2024-03-19 Local workers, organizers with economic justice nonprofit Step Up Louisiana and the city of New Orleans Health Department are pushing for new language to be added to the city charter affirming that New Orleans residents have the right to job safety and fair compensation and benefits. The “Workers Bill of Rights” proposal, sponsored by Councilmember Helena Moreno, would let voters decide this November whether to add the new worker-focused sections to a municipal bill of rights already in the charter. These rights would include access to fair wages, paid leave and healthcare, as well as the right to organize a workplace union. During a discussion of the proposal at a New Orleans City Council committee meeting on Tuesday (March 19), Kenny Arbuthnot, a Dollar General store worker and member of Step Up Louisiana, said that he struggled to pay rent while earning minimum wage at his job and eventually had to move back in with his parents and use food stamps to afford food. “My pride was very much hurt,” Arbuthnot said. “So the Bill of Rights is a chance for us to say that we have a right to live in the city and earn a living wage and to live with dignity.” If passed, the proposed charter amendment would not mandate New Orleans businesses pay their employees higher wages or offer new benefits. Due to state preemption laws that void local ordinances on labor rights, the city cannot establish its own local minimum wage or require employers to provide paid leave. Louisiana has not established a statewide minimum wage, meaning employers in the state are only required to pay the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour, a rate that has been in effect since 2009. The move to proclaim workers’ rights locally comes as the Louisiana State Legislature is considering bills that would weaken labor unions, including one that would prohibit local and state government agencies from bargaining with unions representing public sector employees. (The bill would not apply to unions representing law enforcement officers or firefighters.) Labor organizers hope the proposed city charter amendment will allow the city to incentivize employers to improve working conditions. The city has previously used a similar strategy to increase pay for some local employees. A local living wage law, passed in 2015, already requires contractors doing business with the city to pay their employees above the federal minimum and provide paid leave. The mandated wage under the law — $10.55 per hour when it first took effect — has since been adjusted to $15 per hour, according to the city website. “We thought it best to approach our local issues with a combination of tactics,” Britain Forsyth, legislative coordinator for Step Up Louisiana, said. “We believe that the health of many folks in the city, especially workers, starts with workers’ rights.” Step Up has been working for years on the Workers’ Bill of Rights initiative, hoping to set a citywide standard for healthy workplaces. The proposal came out of their work organizing employees across the city, both in the public and private sector, with recent victories organizing in local dollar stores. The proposal will go to the full City Council on Thursday (March 21). It’s supported by all seven councilmembers and is expected to pass. It will then go to a citywide vote on November 5, 2024. ‘The data is shocking‘ Data shows that New Orleanians’ negative health outcomes are due, in part, to lack of access to safe workplaces. In 2019, the city Health Department conducted a survey of more than 1,000 residents and 100 partner organizations and found that one of the biggest barriers to health care is lack of economic stability, with community members citing low and stagnant wages, as well as lack of stable full-time employment, as impacting their overall wellbeing. “Workers in New Orleans can articulate the link between their jobs and physical and mental health better than any study, but still the data is shocking,” Jeanie Donovan, deputy director of the Health Department, said during the meeting. “There is abundant evidence that show that each of the rights included in the proposed Workers’ Bill of Rights charter changes are directly linked to improve health outcomes for workers and their families,” Donovan said. A three-step process Getting a workers’ bill of rights added to the city’s charter is the start of a three-stage program Step Up Louisiana is promoting to address the needs of workers in the city. Next, the organizers want to establish a workers’ commission, where local workers will be able to discuss workplace issues, strategize ways to protect workers’ rights and share education on union organization. Similar groups have been established in Durham, North Carolina, and Harris County, Texas. For the final part of this program, the organizers want to partner with the Health Department to incentivize workplaces to increase workers’ benefits by designating those that comply with these rights as “healthy workplaces,” the same way that the Health Department recognizes food safety in restaurants, according to Erika Zucker, director of policy and advocacy at the Workplace Justice Project. “We could go right out as soon as this goes into effect and have the Health Department issue them a certificate that says you are an A-plus employer,” Zucker said. “So, it’s voluntary, but we want to incentivize it.” Supporters said such a program could help mitigate population loss that the city and surrounding area have experienced in the past several years. The New Orleans metro area has recently seen the largest population declines of any region in the country, according to recent census estimates. “I don’t like to see my friends and family and loved ones go to neighboring states for better jobs,” Gregory Wilson, lead organizer for Step Up, said in a public comment. “It’s important for us to rally around the workers in our community and make sure we invest in them in a real way through this bill of rights.” Related Stories Republish This Story Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. [END] --- [1] Url: https://veritenews.org/2024/03/19/new-orleans-may-soon-affirm-workers-rights-in-city-law/ Published and (C) by Verite News New Orleans Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 US. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/veritenews/