Labor Conditions in New Orleans

Under the thick humid blanket of a New Orleans summer day, local and migrant workers collect at gas stations on the avenues of Carrollton and Elysian Fields. Some hold hard hats and eagerly look out onto the road. Some chat with one another—a more enjoyable way to pass the time while they wait, wait and wait in the hopes that a subcontractor will drive by and offer employment. Some days are good, but many are not.

And today, the BP oil spill has added new complications to these workers’ lives, creating opportunities for worker exploitation and labor rights violations.

On its face, much of this story isn’t unlike the experience of many workers throughout the United States. But this is New Orleans, and the tale of how these workers got here is quite different.

Almost five years ago in this same city, deserted and weathered sailboats sat lopsided against the curbs of city streets. Packs of abandoned dogs ran rampant throughout Orleans Parish. Road medians were used as parking lots and traffic lights blinked red—a signal to stop to most people, but to post-Katrina New Orleanians it simply meant slow down long enough to avoid hitting pedestrians.

New Orleans at the time was a no-man’s land—a place where lawlessness was commonplace and where thousands of foreign workers found themselves in debt bondage. With their visas and travel documents confiscated and their pay withheld, these workers were threatened with unlawful eviction, arrest and deportation. And even though they were unpaid, the workers were charged exorbitant fees for housing, food and even the use of work equipment. Some faced physical threats and were kept confined by armed guards.

Read the full text of this article at www.AmericasQuarterly.org

Stephanie Hepburn is an independent journalist and co-author of the forthcoming book Hidden in Plain Sight: Human Trafficking the World Over.