It's 8 a.m. on a Tuesday, and the parking lot at Turner Industries' “one-stop shop” on Highlandia Drive is pretty close to full. Early-bird jobseekers have been lined up since before the place opened at 7 a.m., looking for work.
In response to a lawsuit filed last week against Turner Industries Group by a former employee who says racial discrimination against black workers has been ignored by the firm, BRAC has issued a statement praising Turner for its "strong community commitment … for over fifty years." While BRAC refers to the statement as "comments on allegations" against Turner, it never directly addresses the discrimination charges. Instead, it lists various service organizations Turner has supported in the Capital Region through the years. One organization BRAC doesn't list in the statement is its own, despite the fact that Turner is an "executive council" investor, giving $50,000 annually to the economic development organization. "Turner Industries is the largest private employer in the Baton Rouge area," BRAC says in its statement. "Overall, the company has proved itself to be committed and focused on improving the region, creating opportunities for all, and setting an example for corporate...
Between 2000 and 2010, the number of jobs within a three-mile radius of downtown Baton Rouge declined by nearly 6,000, or about 3.5%. Meanwhile, the number of jobs in the 3- to 35-mile radius of the downtown area increased by more than 31,000, suggesting a steady rate of urban sprawl in the Capital Region during the first decade of the 21st century. Those are among the findings of a new report from the Brookings Institution that focuses on urban sprawl during the past decade and how it was affected by the recession. While Baton Rouge is below the national average for total jobs located within 3 miles of downtown (15.1% compared to 22.9%), it has a higher percentage of jobs located in a 3- to 10-mile radius (53.8% compared to 34.1%). It also has a lower percentage of jobs within a 10- to 35- mile radius of downtown (31.1% compared to 43.1%). DDD Executive Director Davis Rhorer notes the study only measures private-sector jobs, and notes downtown has seen an increase in government...
Baton Rouge-based Providence Holding Co. says it has established an employee stock ownership plan by which 100% of the company's stock is in the hands of its nearly 200 employees. Under the plan, all full-time employees retain ownership interest in a trust holding their shares of company stock. The stock ownership structure offers the ability to maintain local ownership and control, company officials say in a press release announcing the transition. It also is useful in retaining and attracting employees, they say. "When I and my fellow owners, Todd Black and Yousheng Zeng, made the decision to transition ownership, we could think of no better buyers than those who ... helped us to build the company," reads a prepared statement from Rich Major, speaking on behalf of the company's board of directors. "While the former owners of Providence will continue their involvement with the company through positions on the board of directors, we are confident that the new leadership and...
If you haven't already been asked whether you want to fill out a March Madness bracket in an office pool, chances are you will be soon. And according to a new survey from Vault.com, chances are also pretty good that you'll plop down a few bucks on a bet that most people don't really consider gambling—let alone illegal gambling, as is technically the case in Louisiana and almost every other state. The survey found that roughly 70% of workers participate in an office betting pool. Perhaps even more telling, 79% of respondents say it is appropriate to engage in betting pools in the workplace. When asked to explain, most respondents say an office betting pool is good for employee morale, contributes to team building and is just plain fun. However, respondents weren't unanimous in that opinion. "I think they are unethical and in bad taste in any workplace setting. They set a poor example and interfere with work productivity," comments one disapproving respondent. The cost to enter...
Businessman, activist and philanthropist Lane Grigsby has hired the first outside executive director to run the Boo Grigsby Foundation, which he founded with his family in 2007 and which until recently was run by his daughter, Tricia Grigsby Sanchez. Elizabeth Firesheets, a Baton Rouge native and recent LSU graduate, will run the foundation, which has awarded more than $1.5 million in grants to nonprofits in the areas of education and health care. Firesheets will also run a new foundation Grigsby is creating for the employees of Cajun Industries, the company he founded in 1973. "The employees will be in charge of the foundation and will decide where they want to give their money," says Grigsby, who will capitalize the startup foundation with $2 million. "That will be the corpus, and for every $1 an employee puts up, the foundation will match it." Grigsby says the Cajun Industries Foundation will have very little overhead and, therefore, will be a better way for employees to give...
Locally owned small businesses have created nearly all of the new net jobs over the past two decades in the eight-state region served by the Delta Regional Authority, which includes East Baton Rouge Parish and most of Louisiana. That's according to a new study from the economic development group representing 252 counties and parishes in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. DRA says the study's findings underscore the importance of supporting entrepreneurship and small business development in the region. Specifically, the study found that approximately 91% of the new net jobs in the region over the past 20 years have been created by local businesses with nine or fewer employees. The other roughly 9% of net job gains came from companies with 10 to 99 employees, the study says. "Larger establishments with 100 or more employees eliminated over 216,000 jobs since 1992," in the region, it says. In response to the findings, the DRA says it...
A couple years ago, Louisiana barely showed up on the radar when the mobile gaming leader Gameloft went looking to expand. Hardly a tech giant, the state was not on the short list of likely sites for the company's second U.S. studio, New Orleans' WVUE-TV reports. Nevertheless, the state asked Gameloft to allow it to screen potential applicants, even before the company had made a decision. "We were, of course, taking a little risk," says LED Secretary Stephen Moret. "If they didn't select New Orleans, we'd have a little egg on our face." Through social media and other efforts, LED rounded up 1,400 potential job seekers, which Moret believes was a key factor in Gameloft's decision to expand in New Orleans. Gameloft, which LED says is on pace to employ 150 workers in New Orleans, was a key victory for LED FastStart, a sort of job training program on steroids. "We help them hire and train the best people they can find," says Jeff Lynn, executive director of workforce development programs...
In 2011, low natural gas prices began to fuel renewed optimism for Louisiana industry, and in 2012, a handful of high-profile industrial projects were announced. The next few years are expected to be even bigger, which means thousands of new workers will be needed.
Former employees of Shaw Canada have filed a $39.2 million lawsuit against Baton Rouge-based The Shaw Group, alleging wrongful termination and the abandonment of an "underfunded" pension plan. The announcement, released Thursday, says the lawsuit arises out of the mass termination of all employees of Shaw Canada, according to a news release by the plaintiffs' law firm. The lawsuit alleges that Shaw Group acted in a manner that was "oppressive to the Canadian employees and retirees," and that the defendants, rather than winding down the company in an orderly manner and providing prior notice to the employees, conspired to orchestrate the bankruptcy of Shaw Canada to evade paying severance pay and amounts owing to the Shaw Canada pension plan.
The Louisiana Department of Revenue announced this morning plans to close district offices in Alexandria, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport, Dallas and Houston. The closures will annually save the state about $500,000, department head Tim Barfield says in a news release. The department says district office employees will not be laid off, but instead will utilize mobile technology to work from the field. However, the department adds it is also planning "a significant reduction of unclassified personnel" and says it plans to make available a "retirement incentive plan" to eligible employees. The number of people that the department expects to let go was unavailable as of press time this morning. The department also announced this morning that it will add 15 new auditors and two new criminal investigators, install new software to identify tax evasion and fraud, and work to improve customer service.
In a show of appreciation for their clients, local law firms are stuffing Christmas stockings with gifts of all shapes and sizes for them. At Kean Miller, presents range from Louisiana-themed cookbooks and festival guides to miniature gumbo pots. Clients are receiving a portfolio of Fonville Winans' photography of south Louisiana from the 1930s and 1940s, including a dozen frame-ready, 11-by-13-inch prints, with a holiday message to clients and a short biography of Winans. Steve Boutwell, director of client services at Kean Miller, says the nearly 30-year-old Baton Rouge law firm has had a gift program for more than 10 years and spends $25 or less on each present. "A lot of our corporate clients have gift policies of under $25," explains Boutwell, noting many clients don't accept lavish presents, preferring to retain transparency with their legal representation. Taylor Porter shares a similar gift-giving relationship with its clients, says managing partner Harry "Skip" Philips. In...
Regardless of who occupies the White House, authors Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey have a word of advice: Tune out the naysayers and get back to work.
With the holiday season in full swing and the end of the year fast approaching, many employed Americans are trying to squeeze in some days of paid vacation before they lose them at the start of the new year. However, according to a recent survey by Harris Interactive Inc., it appears more and more workers aren't finding it possible to get away from the office. At the end of this year, Americans will have left an average of 9.2 days of vacation unused, according to the survey, which was commissioned by travel website Hotwire.com. That's three full vacation days more than the average survey respondent reported leaving on the table last year: 6.2. The top reasons for not taking vacation days? Insufficient time and money: If they had more of each, 87% say they would use more of the vacation days they earn.
BRAC announced this morning the launch of a new program to recruit professional talent to the Capital Region called Regional Relocation Resources, or R3. The strategy is part of BRAC’s five-year strategic plan, The Creative Capital Agenda, to increase college graduate retention and relocate new employees to the city. "The recruitment and retention of talented professionals is crucial to the economic success of the Capital Region," says BRAC President/CEO Adam Knapp in a prepared statement. "We are excited to be one of the first economic development organizations in the country to launch such a groundbreaking program that will assist with the region’s talent development." BRAC says R3 will identify and contact carefully selected candidates from out of the area for specific positions; connect those candidates with companies for job opportunities; develop Online Recruiting Pages, a service that will develop personalized Web pages communicating topics tailored to job...
As we heard from economists Loren Scott and Jim Richardson in their local economic forecast released last week, the Baton Rouge metro area is expected to add about 9,000 jobs over the next two years. A lot of those new jobs will need to be filled by skilled laborers in the industrial and manufacturing sectors, Scott says. And according to a new study released by Boston Consulting Group, that poses a big problem for Baton Rouge. The study lists Baton Rouge as one of just five of the 50 largest manufacturing metros seeing "a major shortage" in skilled workers. The other four metros in the group are Miami; San Antonio; Charlotte, N.C.; and Wichita, Kan. "It doesn't surprise me," says Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance Executive Director Connie Fabre, who had not yet seen the study as of this morning. "It's a big concern of ours. We're going into what we believe to be a big growth spurt in investment, and we don't want it to pass Louisiana by." Fabre says GBRIA is working on a set of...
Livingston Parish District Attorney Scott Perrilloux is defending his handling of a case in which a former employee of The Shaw Group says he was sexually harassed and abused on the job. "We looked into the matter along with the sheriff's office and approached it the same way we would any other case," Perrilloux says. "The victim in this case did not appear when he was subpoenaed before the grand jury, and at that point we declined to accept … which pretty much closed the case." Perrilloux acknowledges attorneys for the alleged victim, 20-year-old Andrew Sawyer of Baton Rouge, argue he wasn't given enough notice prior to the grand jury hearing to appear, but adds: "We looked for him for a month before we could get the subpoena served on him. We made every effort we would on any other case." Sawyer alleges he was sexually harassed and assaulted while working for Shaw at Sunland Pipefitting Plant in Walker. Sawyer quit the job in February after about eight months of employment,...
Attorneys for Andrew Sawyer, a 20-year-old Baton Rouge resident who alleges he was sexually abused while working for The Shaw Group in Walker earlier this year, is asking Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell to intercede and demand that four men who were arrested in connection with the case be prosecuted. Sawyer's attorneys say Livingston Parish District Attorney Scott Perrilloux is not pursuing the case, and that's why Caldwell is being asked to get involved. Attorneys from Dedrick Moore & Associates and Haley & Associates have also sent word to U.S Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to intercede. Perrilloux did not return calls seeking comment today. A spokesperson at Caldwell's office says the AG won't comment. Sawyer worked for The Shaw Group at Sunland Pipefitting Plant in Walker for eight months, his attorneys say, and was subjected to sexual abuse and harassment by his co-workers, "including multiple levels of management." His lawyers say Sawyer was tied down with...
A total of 173 state employees have been laid off in the first two months of the fiscal year that started July 1. Lindsay Ruiz de Chavez, with the state Department of Civil Service, tells The Times-Picayune that the latest figures show that from July 1, 2008, to Aug. 31 of this year, 2,373 jobs have been abolished. During the first two months of the present fiscal year, 448 job positions were abolished, including positions that were vacant. The largest number of jobs lost came at Forcht-Wade Correctional Center near Shreveport, where 158 positions were abolished and 76 individuals were laid off. The state has more than 51,000 employees on the payroll under Civil Service and about 33,000 employees outside of the system.
Gov. Bobby Jindal's office says Louisiana state agencies have spent more than $100 million preparing for and responding to Hurricane Isaac. The latest tally released Wednesday was $116 million, and that sum is expected to rise. It includes the price tags for mobilizing the National Guard, setting up and supplying shelters, bringing food and water to damaged parishes, and paying state employee for storm response. FEMA is expected to cover at least 75% of the cost, leaving the state with a $29 million bill so far. The governor's Division of Administration has said a state emergency response fund contains more than $16 million that can help cover state costs. Jindal is also asking the federal government to pick up a greater percentage of the storm's cost.
While many companies and providers are taking a fresh look at corporate wellness, others have been practicing corporate wellness for years. Here's a look at a few companies in the Baton Rouge area that have made corporate wellness a priority and are reaping the benefits of healthier, more productive employees and lower health care costs.
The Shaw Group says it has gotten word from the Federal Trade Commission that a required waiting period for the previously announced sale of its energy and chemicals group to French company Technip has ended early, clearing the way for the sale to close by the end of August. Termination of the waiting period was one of the last remaining hurdles to completing the sale, Shaw says. The deal, which will net Shaw an estimated $300 million, was first announced in May. The Houston Business Journal has previously reported that Paris-based Technip will acquire Shaw's Stone & Webster process technologies in the deal, along with 1,200 employees in business operations in Houston, two locations in Massachusetts, the U.K. and India. In a separate deal announced one week ago, Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. has agreed to acquire Shaw for $3.04 billion in cash and stock as the energy infrastructure construction company looks to diversify its offerings in growth areas like power generation.
Despite an announcement from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission late Wednesday that it will not pursue a federal discrimination lawsuit against Gerry Lane Enterprises, an attorney for plaintiffs in the case says his clients intend to move forward with lawsuits accusing Gerald R. Lane and his company of sexual harassment and racial discrimination. Joseph Long, who represents current and former Gerry Lane employees, says his clients declined to participate in the investigation that led to the commission's decision Wednesday. While he did not elaborate on why they declined to participate, Long says in a prepared statement, "We are pleased the EEOC has completed its investigation so that we can get on with litigation." His statement conveys a desire to move forward expeditiously: "The government has finally granted us the right to sue in Federal Court regarding our first six plaintiffs. The law gives us 90 days to file our federal complaint. We will be filing shortly. We...
After an investigation, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has decided not to pursue a federal discrimination lawsuit against Gerry Lane Enterprises, according to the Vice President Eric Lane. Several employees had alleged harassment and racial discrimination. The EEOC's decision does not necessarily mean the nine plaintiffs will not pursue their suits against Gerry Lane, only that they would do so without EEOC support. Joseph Long, an attorney who represents current and former employees in a state suit against Gerry Lane, could not immediately be reached for comment.
While employees of The Shaw Group may have been as surprised as anyone by Monday's announcement that the company will be acquired by CB&I, a Netherlands firm with U.S. operations based in The Woodlands, Texas, they received a personal welcome—with a hint of reassurances for their job security—via a video message from CB&I President and CEO Philip Asherman. According to a transcript of that video, filed earlier today with the SEC, Asherman tells Shaw's 27,000 employees, 5,000 of whom are in Louisiana, that "once this transaction is complete, you'll be employed by a company with the strongest energy focus in the industry. … We think the opportunities for employees will be substantial." Asherman goes on to say, "This transaction is a tremendous mutual opportunity to join two industry leading companies and leverage our combined strength." According to SEC filings, the combined companies will have some 50,000 employees, revenues in excess of $10 billion, and a project...
Since its launch four years ago, LED's FastStart job-training program has trained more than 13,500 workers and contracted with more than 60 companies, Governing magazine reports. That places it among the best state workforce training programs in the nation, the magazine says, along with programs in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Aside from Texas, Louisiana is the only Southern state that has posted net job gains from January 2008 to March 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While FastStart can't take credit for all the gains, LED Secretary Stephen Moret tells the magazine, it was "absolutely critical—one of the key contributors." LED offers Louisiana FastStart free of charge to companies expanding in, relocating to or launching in Louisiana. Business Facilities magazine has named FastStart the nation's best training program two years running. "Indeed, over the past several years, the Southeast has quietly positioned itself as a leader in the...
BP and its contractors have agreed to pay up to $5.4 million to resolve complaints that some women weren't considered for temporary jobs responding to the 2010 Gulf oil spill because of their gender. The agreement ends an investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission without the federal agency filing a lawsuit over the allegations. The EEOC says it hasn't determined that London-based BP PLC violated any anti-discrimination laws. BP denies it engaged in any wrongdoing. The EEOC says its probe was based on complaints by several women in Louisiana and Alabama. An undetermined number of women from Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida who applied for BP spill response jobs will be eligible for shares of the money. Also under the settlement, BP will require its contractors to abide by equal opportunity laws and designate an employee to monitor the terms of the agreement with the government. It also will partner with other companies in the industry to make sure...
Foreign guest workers are in need of more job protection because they incur big debts to travel to the United States and can face threats of dismissal or deportation if they complain about low wages or harsh working conditions, says a report being issued today. The report was prepared by Penn State's Dickinson School of Law and the New Orleans-based National Guestworker Alliance, an advocacy group for guest workers. As The Times-Picayune reports, widespread use of foreign guest workers in the seafood, service and timber industries has cost Americans jobs, while the wages paid fall far short of the livable wages promised by groups that arrange travel and visas for foreign workers from their home industry, according to the report. The foreign workers, unlike American citizens or those with legal status, can't change jobs if they are dissatisfied with working conditions. Supporters of the foreign worker program—including the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing...
The Times Picayune today announced job cuts for 201 employees as it reduces a third of its staff. In the news operation alone, 84 of the 173 people currently employed in the newsroom were notified today that they will lose their jobs and be given severance packages. Employees who were not laid off were offered new jobs to begin this fall with Nola Media Group, the new company that will oversee news coverage for The Times-Picayune. Among the more notable names on the list of newsroom employees slated for layoffs are longtime sports columnist Peter Finney, award-winning restaurant critic Brett Anderson and religion writer Bruce Nolan. The newspaper announced the layoffs here. Finney, it should be noted, has been asked to write a sports column on a freelance basis, Editor Jim Amoss said. "Peter Finney has a permanent seat in the press box in Tiger Stadium for any...
Help wanted
It's 8 a.m. on a Tuesday, and the parking lot at Turner Industries' “one-stop shop” on Highlandia Drive is pretty close to full. Early-bird jobseekers have been lined up since before the place opened at 7 a.m., looking for work.
BRAC praises Turner in wake of racism lawsuit
In response to a lawsuit filed last week against Turner Industries Group by a former employee who says racial discrimination against black workers has been ignored by the firm, BRAC has issued a statement praising Turner for its "strong community commitment … for over fifty years." While BRAC refers to the statement as "comments on allegations" against Turner, it never directly addresses the discrimination charges. Instead, it lists various service organizations Turner has supported in the Capital Region through the years. One organization BRAC doesn't list in the statement is its own, despite the fact that Turner is an "executive council" investor, giving $50,000 annually to the economic development organization. "Turner Industries is the largest private employer in the Baton Rouge area," BRAC says in its statement. "Overall, the company has proved itself to be committed and focused on improving the region, creating opportunities for all, and setting an example for corporate...
Report: Shift in B.R. job growth indicates urban sprawl
Between 2000 and 2010, the number of jobs within a three-mile radius of downtown Baton Rouge declined by nearly 6,000, or about 3.5%. Meanwhile, the number of jobs in the 3- to 35-mile radius of the downtown area increased by more than 31,000, suggesting a steady rate of urban sprawl in the Capital Region during the first decade of the 21st century. Those are among the findings of a new report from the Brookings Institution that focuses on urban sprawl during the past decade and how it was affected by the recession. While Baton Rouge is below the national average for total jobs located within 3 miles of downtown (15.1% compared to 22.9%), it has a higher percentage of jobs located in a 3- to 10-mile radius (53.8% compared to 34.1%). It also has a lower percentage of jobs within a 10- to 35- mile radius of downtown (31.1% compared to 43.1%). DDD Executive Director Davis Rhorer notes the study only measures private-sector jobs, and notes downtown has seen an increase in government...
Providence employees now own 100% of company's stock
Baton Rouge-based Providence Holding Co. says it has established an employee stock ownership plan by which 100% of the company's stock is in the hands of its nearly 200 employees. Under the plan, all full-time employees retain ownership interest in a trust holding their shares of company stock. The stock ownership structure offers the ability to maintain local ownership and control, company officials say in a press release announcing the transition. It also is useful in retaining and attracting employees, they say. "When I and my fellow owners, Todd Black and Yousheng Zeng, made the decision to transition ownership, we could think of no better buyers than those who ... helped us to build the company," reads a prepared statement from Rich Major, speaking on behalf of the company's board of directors. "While the former owners of Providence will continue their involvement with the company through positions on the board of directors, we are confident that the new leadership and...
Betting has become acceptable in the workplace, survey says
If you haven't already been asked whether you want to fill out a March Madness bracket in an office pool, chances are you will be soon. And according to a new survey from Vault.com, chances are also pretty good that you'll plop down a few bucks on a bet that most people don't really consider gambling—let alone illegal gambling, as is technically the case in Louisiana and almost every other state. The survey found that roughly 70% of workers participate in an office betting pool. Perhaps even more telling, 79% of respondents say it is appropriate to engage in betting pools in the workplace. When asked to explain, most respondents say an office betting pool is good for employee morale, contributes to team building and is just plain fun. However, respondents weren't unanimous in that opinion. "I think they are unethical and in bad taste in any workplace setting. They set a poor example and interfere with work productivity," comments one disapproving respondent. The cost to enter...
Grigsby sets up new foundation for Cajun Industries employees
Businessman, activist and philanthropist Lane Grigsby has hired the first outside executive director to run the Boo Grigsby Foundation, which he founded with his family in 2007 and which until recently was run by his daughter, Tricia Grigsby Sanchez. Elizabeth Firesheets, a Baton Rouge native and recent LSU graduate, will run the foundation, which has awarded more than $1.5 million in grants to nonprofits in the areas of education and health care. Firesheets will also run a new foundation Grigsby is creating for the employees of Cajun Industries, the company he founded in 1973. "The employees will be in charge of the foundation and will decide where they want to give their money," says Grigsby, who will capitalize the startup foundation with $2 million. "That will be the corpus, and for every $1 an employee puts up, the foundation will match it." Grigsby says the Cajun Industries Foundation will have very little overhead and, therefore, will be a better way for employees to give...
Study: Small businesses created 91% of net new jobs over past 20 years
Locally owned small businesses have created nearly all of the new net jobs over the past two decades in the eight-state region served by the Delta Regional Authority, which includes East Baton Rouge Parish and most of Louisiana. That's according to a new study from the economic development group representing 252 counties and parishes in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. DRA says the study's findings underscore the importance of supporting entrepreneurship and small business development in the region. Specifically, the study found that approximately 91% of the new net jobs in the region over the past 20 years have been created by local businesses with nine or fewer employees. The other roughly 9% of net job gains came from companies with 10 to 99 employees, the study says. "Larger establishments with 100 or more employees eliminated over 216,000 jobs since 1992," in the region, it says. In response to the findings, the DRA says it...
La. lures job creators with training program on steroids
A couple years ago, Louisiana barely showed up on the radar when the mobile gaming leader Gameloft went looking to expand. Hardly a tech giant, the state was not on the short list of likely sites for the company's second U.S. studio, New Orleans' WVUE-TV reports. Nevertheless, the state asked Gameloft to allow it to screen potential applicants, even before the company had made a decision. "We were, of course, taking a little risk," says LED Secretary Stephen Moret. "If they didn't select New Orleans, we'd have a little egg on our face." Through social media and other efforts, LED rounded up 1,400 potential job seekers, which Moret believes was a key factor in Gameloft's decision to expand in New Orleans. Gameloft, which LED says is on pace to employ 150 workers in New Orleans, was a key victory for LED FastStart, a sort of job training program on steroids. "We help them hire and train the best people they can find," says Jeff Lynn, executive director of workforce development programs...
Good vibrations
There was a time when text messaging was reserved for intimate conversations with family, close friends and lovers.
Are we ready?
In 2011, low natural gas prices began to fuel renewed optimism for Louisiana industry, and in 2012, a handful of high-profile industrial projects were announced. The next few years are expected to be even bigger, which means thousands of new workers will be needed.
Shaw Canada employees file $39 million suit
Former employees of Shaw Canada have filed a $39.2 million lawsuit against Baton Rouge-based The Shaw Group, alleging wrongful termination and the abandonment of an "underfunded" pension plan. The announcement, released Thursday, says the lawsuit arises out of the mass termination of all employees of Shaw Canada, according to a news release by the plaintiffs' law firm. The lawsuit alleges that Shaw Group acted in a manner that was "oppressive to the Canadian employees and retirees," and that the defendants, rather than winding down the company in an orderly manner and providing prior notice to the employees, conspired to orchestrate the bankruptcy of Shaw Canada to evade paying severance pay and amounts owing to the Shaw Canada pension plan.
La. revenue department to close offices, make staff changes
The Louisiana Department of Revenue announced this morning plans to close district offices in Alexandria, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport, Dallas and Houston. The closures will annually save the state about $500,000, department head Tim Barfield says in a news release. The department says district office employees will not be laid off, but instead will utilize mobile technology to work from the field. However, the department adds it is also planning "a significant reduction of unclassified personnel" and says it plans to make available a "retirement incentive plan" to eligible employees. The number of people that the department expects to let go was unavailable as of press time this morning. The department also announced this morning that it will add 15 new auditors and two new criminal investigators, install new software to identify tax evasion and fraud, and work to improve customer service.
Law firms stuff their clients' stockings
In a show of appreciation for their clients, local law firms are stuffing Christmas stockings with gifts of all shapes and sizes for them. At Kean Miller, presents range from Louisiana-themed cookbooks and festival guides to miniature gumbo pots. Clients are receiving a portfolio of Fonville Winans' photography of south Louisiana from the 1930s and 1940s, including a dozen frame-ready, 11-by-13-inch prints, with a holiday message to clients and a short biography of Winans. Steve Boutwell, director of client services at Kean Miller, says the nearly 30-year-old Baton Rouge law firm has had a gift program for more than 10 years and spends $25 or less on each present. "A lot of our corporate clients have gift policies of under $25," explains Boutwell, noting many clients don't accept lavish presents, preferring to retain transparency with their legal representation. Taylor Porter shares a similar gift-giving relationship with its clients, says managing partner Harry "Skip" Philips. In...
Don’t worry about who’s president
Regardless of who occupies the White House, authors Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey have a word of advice: Tune out the naysayers and get back to work.
Survey: Americans letting more paid vacation time go unused
With the holiday season in full swing and the end of the year fast approaching, many employed Americans are trying to squeeze in some days of paid vacation before they lose them at the start of the new year. However, according to a recent survey by Harris Interactive Inc., it appears more and more workers aren't finding it possible to get away from the office. At the end of this year, Americans will have left an average of 9.2 days of vacation unused, according to the survey, which was commissioned by travel website Hotwire.com. That's three full vacation days more than the average survey respondent reported leaving on the table last year: 6.2. The top reasons for not taking vacation days? Insufficient time and money: If they had more of each, 87% say they would use more of the vacation days they earn.
BRAC launches R3 program for job talent recruitment
BRAC announced this morning the launch of a new program to recruit professional talent to the Capital Region called Regional Relocation Resources, or R3. The strategy is part of BRAC’s five-year strategic plan, The Creative Capital Agenda, to increase college graduate retention and relocate new employees to the city. "The recruitment and retention of talented professionals is crucial to the economic success of the Capital Region," says BRAC President/CEO Adam Knapp in a prepared statement. "We are excited to be one of the first economic development organizations in the country to launch such a groundbreaking program that will assist with the region’s talent development." BRAC says R3 will identify and contact carefully selected candidates from out of the area for specific positions; connect those candidates with companies for job opportunities; develop Online Recruiting Pages, a service that will develop personalized Web pages communicating topics tailored to job...
B.R. named among 5 metros with 'major shortage' in skilled workers
As we heard from economists Loren Scott and Jim Richardson in their local economic forecast released last week, the Baton Rouge metro area is expected to add about 9,000 jobs over the next two years. A lot of those new jobs will need to be filled by skilled laborers in the industrial and manufacturing sectors, Scott says. And according to a new study released by Boston Consulting Group, that poses a big problem for Baton Rouge. The study lists Baton Rouge as one of just five of the 50 largest manufacturing metros seeing "a major shortage" in skilled workers. The other four metros in the group are Miami; San Antonio; Charlotte, N.C.; and Wichita, Kan. "It doesn't surprise me," says Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance Executive Director Connie Fabre, who had not yet seen the study as of this morning. "It's a big concern of ours. We're going into what we believe to be a big growth spurt in investment, and we don't want it to pass Louisiana by." Fabre says GBRIA is working on a set of...
D.A. defends handling of case involving former Shaw employee
Livingston Parish District Attorney Scott Perrilloux is defending his handling of a case in which a former employee of The Shaw Group says he was sexually harassed and abused on the job. "We looked into the matter along with the sheriff's office and approached it the same way we would any other case," Perrilloux says. "The victim in this case did not appear when he was subpoenaed before the grand jury, and at that point we declined to accept … which pretty much closed the case." Perrilloux acknowledges attorneys for the alleged victim, 20-year-old Andrew Sawyer of Baton Rouge, argue he wasn't given enough notice prior to the grand jury hearing to appear, but adds: "We looked for him for a month before we could get the subpoena served on him. We made every effort we would on any other case." Sawyer alleges he was sexually harassed and assaulted while working for Shaw at Sunland Pipefitting Plant in Walker. Sawyer quit the job in February after about eight months of employment,...
Attorneys want AG to intercede in suit involving former Shaw employee
Attorneys for Andrew Sawyer, a 20-year-old Baton Rouge resident who alleges he was sexually abused while working for The Shaw Group in Walker earlier this year, is asking Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell to intercede and demand that four men who were arrested in connection with the case be prosecuted. Sawyer's attorneys say Livingston Parish District Attorney Scott Perrilloux is not pursuing the case, and that's why Caldwell is being asked to get involved. Attorneys from Dedrick Moore & Associates and Haley & Associates have also sent word to U.S Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to intercede. Perrilloux did not return calls seeking comment today. A spokesperson at Caldwell's office says the AG won't comment. Sawyer worked for The Shaw Group at Sunland Pipefitting Plant in Walker for eight months, his attorneys say, and was subjected to sexual abuse and harassment by his co-workers, "including multiple levels of management." His lawyers say Sawyer was tied down with...
La. continues to shed state government jobs
A total of 173 state employees have been laid off in the first two months of the fiscal year that started July 1. Lindsay Ruiz de Chavez, with the state Department of Civil Service, tells The Times-Picayune that the latest figures show that from July 1, 2008, to Aug. 31 of this year, 2,373 jobs have been abolished. During the first two months of the present fiscal year, 448 job positions were abolished, including positions that were vacant. The largest number of jobs lost came at Forcht-Wade Correctional Center near Shreveport, where 158 positions were abolished and 76 individuals were laid off. The state has more than 51,000 employees on the payroll under Civil Service and about 33,000 employees outside of the system.
La. government spending on Isaac tops $100M
Gov. Bobby Jindal's office says Louisiana state agencies have spent more than $100 million preparing for and responding to Hurricane Isaac. The latest tally released Wednesday was $116 million, and that sum is expected to rise. It includes the price tags for mobilizing the National Guard, setting up and supplying shelters, bringing food and water to damaged parishes, and paying state employee for storm response. FEMA is expected to cover at least 75% of the cost, leaving the state with a $29 million bill so far. The governor's Division of Administration has said a state emergency response fund contains more than $16 million that can help cover state costs. Jindal is also asking the federal government to pick up a greater percentage of the storm's cost.
Wellness incentives
While many companies and providers are taking a fresh look at corporate wellness, others have been practicing corporate wellness for years. Here's a look at a few companies in the Baton Rouge area that have made corporate wellness a priority and are reaping the benefits of healthier, more productive employees and lower health care costs.
Shaw clears hurdle for $300M sale of energy and chemicals business
The Shaw Group says it has gotten word from the Federal Trade Commission that a required waiting period for the previously announced sale of its energy and chemicals group to French company Technip has ended early, clearing the way for the sale to close by the end of August. Termination of the waiting period was one of the last remaining hurdles to completing the sale, Shaw says. The deal, which will net Shaw an estimated $300 million, was first announced in May. The Houston Business Journal has previously reported that Paris-based Technip will acquire Shaw's Stone & Webster process technologies in the deal, along with 1,200 employees in business operations in Houston, two locations in Massachusetts, the U.K. and India. In a separate deal announced one week ago, Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. has agreed to acquire Shaw for $3.04 billion in cash and stock as the energy infrastructure construction company looks to diversify its offerings in growth areas like power generation.
Plaintiffs say they're moving forward with suits against Gerry Lane
Despite an announcement from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission late Wednesday that it will not pursue a federal discrimination lawsuit against Gerry Lane Enterprises, an attorney for plaintiffs in the case says his clients intend to move forward with lawsuits accusing Gerald R. Lane and his company of sexual harassment and racial discrimination. Joseph Long, who represents current and former Gerry Lane employees, says his clients declined to participate in the investigation that led to the commission's decision Wednesday. While he did not elaborate on why they declined to participate, Long says in a prepared statement, "We are pleased the EEOC has completed its investigation so that we can get on with litigation." His statement conveys a desire to move forward expeditiously: "The government has finally granted us the right to sue in Federal Court regarding our first six plaintiffs. The law gives us 90 days to file our federal complaint. We will be filing shortly. We...
News Alert: EEOC will not pursue claims against Gerry Lane
After an investigation, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has decided not to pursue a federal discrimination lawsuit against Gerry Lane Enterprises, according to the Vice President Eric Lane. Several employees had alleged harassment and racial discrimination. The EEOC's decision does not necessarily mean the nine plaintiffs will not pursue their suits against Gerry Lane, only that they would do so without EEOC support. Joseph Long, an attorney who represents current and former employees in a state suit against Gerry Lane, could not immediately be reached for comment.
CB&I tells Shaw employees they are staying in La.
While employees of The Shaw Group may have been as surprised as anyone by Monday's announcement that the company will be acquired by CB&I, a Netherlands firm with U.S. operations based in The Woodlands, Texas, they received a personal welcome—with a hint of reassurances for their job security—via a video message from CB&I President and CEO Philip Asherman. According to a transcript of that video, filed earlier today with the SEC, Asherman tells Shaw's 27,000 employees, 5,000 of whom are in Louisiana, that "once this transaction is complete, you'll be employed by a company with the strongest energy focus in the industry. … We think the opportunities for employees will be substantial." Asherman goes on to say, "This transaction is a tremendous mutual opportunity to join two industry leading companies and leverage our combined strength." According to SEC filings, the combined companies will have some 50,000 employees, revenues in excess of $10 billion, and a project...
Louisiana, southeastern states lead job-training efforts in U.S.
Since its launch four years ago, LED's FastStart job-training program has trained more than 13,500 workers and contracted with more than 60 companies, Governing magazine reports. That places it among the best state workforce training programs in the nation, the magazine says, along with programs in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Aside from Texas, Louisiana is the only Southern state that has posted net job gains from January 2008 to March 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While FastStart can't take credit for all the gains, LED Secretary Stephen Moret tells the magazine, it was "absolutely critical—one of the key contributors." LED offers Louisiana FastStart free of charge to companies expanding in, relocating to or launching in Louisiana. Business Facilities magazine has named FastStart the nation's best training program two years running. "Indeed, over the past several years, the Southeast has quietly positioned itself as a leader in the...
BP, EEOC reach deal over gender bias claims
BP and its contractors have agreed to pay up to $5.4 million to resolve complaints that some women weren't considered for temporary jobs responding to the 2010 Gulf oil spill because of their gender. The agreement ends an investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission without the federal agency filing a lawsuit over the allegations. The EEOC says it hasn't determined that London-based BP PLC violated any anti-discrimination laws. BP denies it engaged in any wrongdoing. The EEOC says its probe was based on complaints by several women in Louisiana and Alabama. An undetermined number of women from Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida who applied for BP spill response jobs will be eligible for shares of the money. Also under the settlement, BP will require its contractors to abide by equal opportunity laws and designate an employee to monitor the terms of the agreement with the government. It also will partner with other companies in the industry to make sure...
Report: More protection needed for foreign guest workers in U.S.
Foreign guest workers are in need of more job protection because they incur big debts to travel to the United States and can face threats of dismissal or deportation if they complain about low wages or harsh working conditions, says a report being issued today. The report was prepared by Penn State's Dickinson School of Law and the New Orleans-based National Guestworker Alliance, an advocacy group for guest workers. As The Times-Picayune reports, widespread use of foreign guest workers in the seafood, service and timber industries has cost Americans jobs, while the wages paid fall far short of the livable wages promised by groups that arrange travel and visas for foreign workers from their home industry, according to the report. The foreign workers, unlike American citizens or those with legal status, can't change jobs if they are dissatisfied with working conditions. Supporters of the foreign worker program—including the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing...
One-third of 'Times-Picayune' staff given notice
The Times Picayune today announced job cuts for 201 employees as it reduces a third of its staff. In the news operation alone, 84 of the 173 people currently employed in the newsroom were notified today that they will lose their jobs and be given severance packages. Employees who were not laid off were offered new jobs to begin this fall with Nola Media Group, the new company that will oversee news coverage for The Times-Picayune. Among the more notable names on the list of newsroom employees slated for layoffs are longtime sports columnist Peter Finney, award-winning restaurant critic Brett Anderson and religion writer Bruce Nolan. The newspaper announced the layoffs here. Finney, it should be noted, has been asked to write a sports column on a freelance basis, Editor Jim Amoss said. "Peter Finney has a permanent seat in the press box in Tiger Stadium for any...