Federal assistance: The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that Louisiana will receive nearly $1.7 million to fund temporary jobs for workers to assist in the cleanup after the floods that devastated the state in March. The money comes from the National Dislocated Worker Grant and $1 million will be available immediately, according to a DOL news release. Ouachita Parish received the most funding, slightly under $800,000. Locally, the parishes of Livingston, Tangipahoa, St. Helena, Ascension and Washington will receive more than $348,000 for cleanup efforts. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor Chris Lu made the announcement today with Gov. John Bel Edwards while in town to speak at the Equal Pay Now Lobby Day at the Capitol.
Vote no: The Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce is asking people to urge their state senators to vote against Senate bills 269 and 347, both of which address minimum wage. SB 269, by Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans, would establish a statewide minimum wage that is higher than the federally mandated $7.25. SB 347, by Sen. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, would repeal the state law barring cities and towns to set their own minimum wage and number of sick and vacation days. Carter’s bill was set to be voted on today but the outcome was not known at publication time, while Peterson’s bill is pending in the Senate Finance Committee. “Supporters of these bills purport that increasing the minimum wage will raise low-income workers out of poverty, and while it may seem that way, it inevitably hurts the very people lawmakers intend to help,” the chamber says in a news release.
More investment: The board of directors for the Monsanto Company approved a $975 million expansion of the company’s Luling manufacturing site. In a press release announcing the move, the company says construction is expected to be completed in mid-2019. The St. Charles Parish facility is expected to produce 25% to 35% of its dicamba product, which is a key ingredient in the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System. Once the construction is complete, the company expects to add 95 jobs averaging $76,500 per year and 20 additional contractors, as well as up to 1,000 construction jobs during peak work. Louisiana Economic Development estimates more than 450 indirect jobs will be created. The move has been anticipated for about one year. The financial incentives are detailed in the LED announcement.
