Rebuilding the Gulf Coast
Interfaith Worker Justice launched a project to monitor rebuilding contracts after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and shined a light on shocking abuses of workers in New Orleans. IWJ formed the Gulf Coast Commission on Reconstruction Equity, which issued a series of reports and provided testimony to federal agencies. The IWJ New Orleans Workers' Center was created in 2006. Focusing on the lack of adequate labor law enforcement in New Orleans, IWJ helped generate hearings and testified before the Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives.
IWJ Materials on Rebuilding the Gulf Coast
Working on Faith: A Faithful Response to Worker Abuse in New Orleans
IWJ's report on abuse of labor rights in post-Katrina New Orleans, June 2007.
Hearing on Labor Law Enforcement in Post-Katrina New Orleans
Testimony by IWJ Public Policy Director Ted Smukler before the House Domestic Policy subcommittee of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, June 26, 2007.
Wage Theft and the Department of Labor in Post-Katrina New Orleans
Remarks by IWJ Public Policy Director Ted Smukler at IWJ National Conference, June 18, 2007.
DOL on Labor Law Enforcement in Post-Katrina New Orleans
Remarks by Paul DeCamp, Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division at the Department of Labor, at IWJ National Conference, June 18, 2007.
Profiles of 12 companies that have received large contracts for cleanup and reconstruction work related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Report on adherence to labor law, prepared for IWJ by Philip Mattera of Good Jobs First, March 2006.
New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Require an "Ethical Reconstruction Commission"
Statement by IWJ Board co-chair Rev. Nelson Johnson, September 23, 2005.
Rebuild the Gulf Coast with Nehemiah Principles
Statement by IWJ Executive Director Kim Bobo, September 23, 2005.
IWJ Press Releases
January 11, 2006
Labor Standards and Oversight Lacking in Gulf Coast RebuildingBillions of dollars continue to be spent in a piece-meal approach to Gulf Coast clean up and reconstruction without any plan for comprehensive rebuilding and oversight. Nearly 250 hurricane-related bills were introduced in Congress while a patchwork of committees and subcommittees of the U.S. House and Senate continue to convene public hearings on various aspects of recovery.
Gulf Coast Commission on Reconstruction Equity (GCCRE)
Background on the Gulf Coast Commission on Reconstruction Equity
Gulf Coast Commission on Reconstruction Equity, Commission Members
Updated January 2007.
Religious Leaders and Worker Advocates Investigate Contracting Abuses in the Gulf Coast
Announcement of the Gulf Coast Commission on Reconstruction Equity, February 13, 2006.
Good Work and Fair Contracts: Making Gulf Coast Reconstruction Work for Local Residents and Businesses
A report by IWJ as part of the Gulf Coast Commission on Reconstruction Equity, February 28, 2006.
Report Card: Reclaiming the Gulf Coast
For the six months ending February 28, 2006.
Faith Group Calls for New Gulf Coast Recovery Initiative, Grades Federal Contracting Process
Press release accompanying "Good Work and Fair Contracts" and "Report Card: Reclaiming the Gulf," February 28, 2006.
Contractors in New Orleans Allowed to Violate Worker Safety Standards
Press release, February 13, 2006.
A Golden Opportunity: Making Gulf Opportunity Zone Bonds Work for Those Most in Need
Report published by IWJ and Good Jobs First for the Gulf Coast Commission on Reconstruction Equity, April 2006.
Social Justice Groups Call Gulf Opportunity Zone Bonds a "Golden Opportunity" for States to Promote Equity and Accountability in Katrina Reconstruction
Press release announcing A Golden Opportunity, April 5, 2006.
Further Reading and Other Resources
Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch
Resources and links to information on the rebuilding of the Gulf. A project of the Institute for Southern Studies.
How to Destroy an African-American City - Lessons from Katrina
Article in The Black Commentator, June 28, 2007, by Bill Quigley, former IWJ Board member.
Hearing on Adequacy of Labor Law Enforcement in New Orleans
Overview of hearing and links to Chairman Kucinich's opening statement and witness testimonies (including IWJ's), June 25, 2007.
Lessons and Limits: Tax Incentives and Rebuilding the Gulf Coast after Katrina
By the Brookings Institution, August 2006.
Special Edition of the Katrina Index: A One-Year Review of Key Indicators of Recovery in Post-Storm New Orleans
A report of the Brookings Institution, August 2006.
And Injustice for All: Workers' Lives in the Reconstruction of New Orleans
700 workers were interviewed for this report by the Advancement Project and National Immigration Law Center, July 2006.
Report Card: The Triumphs and Struggles in the Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast
By the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, August 29, 2005-December 31, 2006.