Posted on 10/14/2005 5:47:47 PM PDT by Libloather
Fired New Orleans city workers get final paychecks
20 minutes ago
Final paychecks were issued to thousands of New Orleans city workers laid off in the wake of ruinous hurricanes, according to city officials. A message posted on the city website provided further details of the layoffs from Mayor Ray Nagin, seen here 6 October(AFP/Getty Images/File)
NEW ORLEANS, United States (AFP) - Final paychecks were issued to thousands of New Orleans city workers laid off in the wake of ruinous hurricanes, according to city officials.
"In addition, all employees who are part of the layoff are asked to turn in any city property immediately, including cell phones, cars and fuel cards," Mayor Ray Nagin said in a message posted Thursday on the city website.
Aftershocks from hurricanes Katrina and Rita continued to batter New Orleans despite signs the crippled city was limping back to life.
"There is no last minute reprieve," Nagin spokeswoman Tammy Frazier told AFP. "This is the last paycheck they will receive."
While bars, restaurants and other businesses were gradually being reopened in the mostly desolate city, most of the residents were still gone and the once-bustling streets were deserted.
Bar operators in the city's famed French Quarter were threatening on Friday to host a midnight party to protest a 12:01 am to 6:00 am curfew they complained is stifling the traditionally festive neighborhood's revival.
The absence of businesses and residents stripped the city of its tax base, prompting Nagin to lay off some 3,000 "non-essential" city workers, about half of the New Orleans workforce.
Nagin tried in vain to get multi-million dollar loans from banks to keep the city workers on payroll, according to Frazier.
"As we look toward a brighter future for our beloved city, we are faced with difficult decisions," Nagin said in a written release.
"We sought funding from every possible public and private source, but unfortunately, we did not receive enough to meet all our needs."
Police, fire and emergency medical personnel remain on the payrolls, with US federal funds paying the bill for overtime.
Nagin expected the cutbacks will save the city between five million and eight million dollars a month.
The layoffs came as stores, restaurants, cleaning and construction companies throughout the New Orleans area went begging for workers.
Local stores were offering to pay from nine to 12 dollars hourly for the usually minimum-wage jobs such as cashiers and stock clerks. One burger chain reportedly offered "signing bonuses" of 6,000 dollars for counter workers.
Laid off city workers whose homes were ruined have no reason to return to New Orleans, said Jacqueline Edwards, who worked in the New Orleans planning department for 23 years.
Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco has urged President George W. Bush to modify federal rules to allow federal aid to pay the wages of local government employees in communities whose tax bases have been wiped out by the storms.
She has also asked Bush to give Louisiana businesses priority in hiring and contracting for the reconstruction effort.
Bush has responded by saying the burden of rebuilding should fall to the private sector.
At least 1,260 people were killed by Katrina when it ripped through the southern United States on August 29, including 1,025 in Louisiana, the hardest-hit state.
I have never seen such generosity around me as I have seen since all this happened. It is breathtaking. I would have never predicted it but it is all around. The kindness of people to others has been everywhere.
What does amaze me is the extent to which others, outside this place, talk about how this is not their problem. As if a city, part of a state in this country, doesn't belong to everyone.
I don't remember people griping about the idea that the fed govt would respond to NYC after 911. We spend billions to protect our cities, our planes, our forrests,,all of our places from terrorism, from fire, from pollution, from natural disasters.
Why the "not my tax dollars" attitude? NO, its music, its cuisine, its history is all of ours. Just like the parks, just like NYC, just like the rivers, the mountains.
There is no "they" here.
"enough to meet all our freeloader needs", sounds more like the right statement.
I don't think the good Lord ever gets a chuckle out of people losing everything they have worked for.
I appreciate black humor but there is a coldness in people on this thread that just is beyond decency.
Civics 101:
In the 21st Century, a Louisiana parish is, in fact, roughly equivalent to a county in other states. Parish is originally an ecclesiastical (church) term. In French and Spanish, Roman Catholic, Louisiana, records were kept by the church parish. Eventually, the term was applied to a civil division of the state, as well. In colonies, such as Virginia (which had a "state" church, the Church of England), each colony was divided into counties; and each county was then subdivided into ecclesiastical (church) parishes for purposes of levying taxes...thus, a county could be comprised of several parishes.
The entirely urban City of New Orleans and Orleans Parish are co-terminus, that is, they have the same boundaries and the same government.
Elsewhere in LA, Baton Rouge is the principal city in East Baton Rouge Parish, and there is a unified "City Parish" government that rules all of the Parish.
Other parishes, such as Jefferson, which includes the City of Kenner, and other unincorporated areas such as Metairie, are not part of the City of New Orleans (or Orleans Parish). They have a unified government under an elected "Parish President" who rules over the entire Parish. They are generally considered to be part of "Greater New Orleans" as they are really suburbs of New Orleans; but, their government, their services, their tax base, etc. are entirely separate from the government, etc. of New Orleans.
The population of New Orleans (City and Parish) in the 2000 census was 484,674. In 1960, the population was 627,525. New Orleans lost 142,851 people between 1960 and 2000.
New Orleans used to have the dubious distinction of being at the top of the list for the U.S. murder rate. They suddenly were no longer mentioned in the list. The reason for this is not because there were fewer murders ... but, because in the 1990 census, the population (496,938) dropped below the half million population required to be considered for the list.
It will be interesting to see what the population of the City will be in 2010. They have 4 years to rebuild.
The eye of hurricane Floyd was supposed to go through Charlotte. Yep - I'm pretty sure the party in New Orleans stopped - for several days - just to make sure those in North Carolina felt the vibe.
New Orleans was, and is, on the list of cities to get BLASTED by a hurricane. As far as I can see it, they weren't prepared. If I'm allowed to expand my opinion - I'm not too sure they're prepared for the NEXT hurricane.
Call me an idiot (and it wouldn't be the first time) but if that city doesn't properly prepare for the next storm, how in the world will non-preparations - like casinos - help in the future?
I should run for against Nagin for mayor...
Not to get too technical, the levees held, the river was down before the storm and I don't believe it was any danger. The lake has seawalls, believe they call the canal barriers flood walls. One of the main reasons for the 17th street canal failure was that it was not a levee. The pressure for real estate is a major factor. There are far fewer canals and more developments than when I was a lad. There was a canal with a real levee where West End Blvd is now, it carried a lot of water that has to go somewhere else. A lot of Lakeview (that flooded) was built it the 50s and has subsided over the years. Maybe it is time to look at the amount of water that needs to be moved and a more efficient way of doing it. If canals are to be used, real levees should be considered.
NO is not prepared. Until those levees are rebuilt, it will be vulnerable, more vulnerable than before.
The river was never a problem.
But the expectation was always that the levees around Lake P would overflow. Nobody expected the breaches in the areas around the canals. There is a levee around Lake Ponchatrain,,I have biked and walked on it. They did not enlarge it, make it taller, because very expensive homes would have to have been taken to make the base wider.
I don't know much about the canals except that I never worried about them.
You should run pro and anti Nagin. That way, he doesn't have an out...
Where is any mayor or Governor when a city, the major city in their state, is decimated. I do believe NO provides an enormous amount of state taxes.
They are desperate and for good reason. Every city, every state needs a tax base.
A republican would be in the very same place, to think otherwise is not to grasp the situation.
Hard to miss the contrast between how Louisiana is handling this disaster and how Mississippi is handling it, though.
yes, it is quite amazing. The churches are doing heavy lifting down here. Their entire congregations are involved, everyone I know was volunteering somewhere, housing people, giving away things, gathering stuff. The private schools chipped in, took in kids. It was truly something to see. Beautiful really.
I think that is why the whiners about "my taxes won't pay one cent" get to me. Cold, stingy, mean is how they come across. Surely feds won't pay for this whole thing, the private sector will do most of it, but I don't think this state can survive this without some federal input.
My grandmother's house was about a block and a half from the 17th street canal on the JP side and before they got around to working on it, she would get water in the yard regularly and infrequently in the house. Another issue is what to do about barriers built to keep water that keep water in when the system is topped or breached.
The keys to the school buses are still where they were left before Katrina hit - on the office wall.
Thanks to the 'POSM Mayer, the buses were not used as per the disaster planning which had been done years before. People died and a fleet of buses was ruined.
The people of NOLA did this to themselves in no small part. And they seem to have created a police force which would have gladdened the heart of Stalin.
What do you think the federal gov't should pay for?
I am not in Miss so I have no idea. But I guess it is different. Population and place are different.
And the Gov of La is a fool. ANd the political use of this is indecent. Not only on her part but on the part of all the political players.
And as far as I can see, this is not political. If everyone wants to make hay of the politics, do so. But that is destructive in my opinion. And it really doesn't do anything to arrive at solutions here.
Actually, I'd like to see the people of N.O. fire Mayor Nagin.
I worked in the Gulf out of Cameron with some tough, smart Cajuns. If anyone can put La. back together again, they can. This is an opportunity to wash out the old vermin, and start over. Nagin and Blanco should be the first to go. It's a shame she stole the election from Jindel, he's shown some sense and leadership throughout this ordeal. I hope this brings about the necessary change.
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