Louisiana
Louisiana workers fight back against repressive anti-union legislation
The Republican-controlled Louisiana State Legislature, under the leadership of far-right, white supremacist Gov. Jeff Landry, is ramping up its attack on workers. Several new pieces of anti-union legislation have advanced in the Senate, constituting an all-out war on Louisiana workers. Several unions and community organizations, including the Louisiana branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, quickly mobilized in response and took to the streets of New Orleans on April 6 to demand an end to the state’s attack on workers’ rights.
Taken together, the bills introduced amount to a virtual ban on public sector unions. House Bill 572 would prohibit collective bargaining with most public sector unions. Notably, this repressive measure would not impact law enforcement agencies. This is an indication of the power of police unions and their apparent untouchability within the political establishment. Police unions are notorious for protecting killer cops and granting special privileges not afforded to other labor unions. Another bill, House Bill 571, would prohibit government agencies from spending public funds on contract negotiations, and Senate Bill 331 would limit the ways that public sector unions can collect membership dues.
This latest attack on workers comes just weeks after the swift passage of several new racist “tough on crime” bills passed in the Legislature’s Special Session on Crime last month, bound to exacerbate the crisis of over-policing and mass incarceration of Black communities. Now, the legislature is cracking down on even broader swaths of the working class. Among those whose bargaining rights are at stake are the state’s 50,000 public school teachers, whose unions have already been severely undermined by the corporate charter school system built on the wreckage of Hurricane Katrina.
New Orleans city workers, who won an ordinance in the City Council last year that codified their right to organize, fear that their hard-won efforts could soon be reversed. “The legislators are really throwing everything at us all at once to make it harder to fight back against,” said Maria Singer of the New Orleans City Workers Organizing Committee. “Years of work by my colleagues would be destroyed with the passage of many of these bills.”
Grace Reinke, a public sector worker and organizer with United Campus Workers, sees the curtailing of worker’s rights as a targeted measure aiming at repressing worker people, especially in New Orleans. “Conservative elites see growing power in cities like ours and consider it a threat to their interests,” Reinke said. “Anything they can do to make organizing workers harder fits squarely in line with the broader agenda of pushing free-market ideals and maximizing profits at the expense of workers.”
Workers in Louisiana — and all across the Deep South — are among the most exploited in the country. The state consistently ranks among the worst for wages, healthcare access, education, incarceration, and climate impacts. The corporate elite sees the South and its working class as a dumping ground for unwanted externalities. Poor people develop cancer and die when fossil fuel magnates flood their neighborhoods with toxic chemicals; Black working class communities are displaced by wealthy developers seeking new investment opportunities; tens of thousands of migrants are detained in privately-owned immigrant detention centers; the legacy of slavery continues through the violent and racist apparatus of mass incarceration. It would be foolish to divorce the issue of workplace benefits from the myriad of other issues that working class people face.
The ruling class establishment has proven that they will only side with labor when it is convenient for them and not overly detrimental to their primary interests– wealthy bankers, business executives and their shareholders. Despite his election promises to be a “pro-union” president, Biden quickly turned his back on labor in 2022 when he chose billionaire railroad executives over their workers. He signed a bill to block a strike and forced Congress to impose a contract that the union rejected, a clear violation of basic labor rights. A vast majority of Democrats voted in favor of the resolution to avert a walkout.
Former Louisiana governor Bel Edwards won in 2015 and 2019 with the help of a strong base of union support and labor endorsements, including the AFL-CIO. Throughout his tenure he signed some modest reforms into law including paid parental leave for Louisiana state employees and a bill codifying employees’ right to leave for health screening. Yet, after eight years of Democratic governorship, the state still ranks as one of the most abysmal for workers. Louisiana is one of over two dozen “right to work” states, a policy which allows workers to opt out of union membership — a victory for exploitative industries and bosses.
We cannot hang our hopes on either of the corporate, ruling class parties to deliver basic rights to the working class. In the capitalist system, both parties are ultimately accountable to the bosses, and hardly ever to workers. No matter what backwards legislation our politicians pass, our movement will not falter. Only an independent, multinational, working class party, which unites all working class people under a socialist program, is capable of building a mass movement to end the dictatorship of the rich and put working people in power.
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Louisiana’s summer heat is becoming harder to ignore, with rising temperatures, higher humidity and thousands of heat-related emergency room visits in recent years.
Across all 64 parishes, average summer temperatures have risen since 1970, according to Climate Central, a nonprofit research group.
In 2023, Louisiana reported a record-breaking 88 heat-related deaths, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. More than 6,100 people went to emergency rooms that year because of heat-related symptoms.
Tony Coker felt how quickly that heat can become dangerous while working his landscaping job last week.
Coker was among a crew cutting grass near LSU’s School of Public Health in New Orleans. He said the heat forced him to stop working.
“I got to a point, I was like, ‘OK guys, you’re going to have to finish. I’m done. My stomach is hurting. I’m sitting down for a minute and I’m going to go home,’” Coker said.
During Louisiana’s often-brutal summers, Coker takes steps to protect himself while working his landscaping job.
“I got this hat on. It’s a little hotter with long sleeves, but it keeps the sun off the body. I wear sunscreen to make sure to get as much protection as possible, you know 100 SPF,” Coker said.
Heat safety
Heat illness in Louisiana
Heat-related illness has sent thousands of people to emergency rooms in Louisiana in recent years.
Heat-related deaths
- 2023: 88 deaths
- 2024: 53 deaths
- 2025: 31 deaths
Emergency room visits
- 2023: 6,187 visits
- 2024: 4,471 visits
- 2025: 4,194 visits
- 2026: 935 visits as of June 30
Signs of heat illness
- Heavy sweating
- Weakness or dizziness
- Nausea
- Headache
- Muscle cramps
- Confusion
- Fainting
How to stay safe
- Drink water before you feel thirsty
- Take breaks in shade or air conditioning
- Wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing
- Limit strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day
- Check on older adults, children and people without reliable air conditioning
Call 911 if someone is confused, faints, stops sweating or shows signs of heat stroke.
Source: Louisiana Department of Health
According to Climate Central, a nonprofit research group, the average annual temperature in New Orleans has risen by 4.5 degrees since 1970.
The group’s newest summer analysis shows the warming is not limited to New Orleans. Among Louisiana cities analyzed, Shreveport has seen the largest increase in average summer temperatures since 1970, at 4.3 degrees, followed by New Orleans at 4.1 degrees. New Orleans, however, saw the largest increase in hotter-than-normal summer days, with 53 more days above normal than in the early 1970s.
Climate Central’s parish-level data shows average summer temperature increases ranging from 1.4 degrees in Avoyelles and Evangeline parishes to 3.1 degrees in Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Sabine and Terrebonne parishes.
In Orleans Parish, average summer temperatures have risen by 2.5 degrees since 1970, according to Climate Central’s parish-level data.
“It was relatively cool in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and then we went on this rapid warming trend, mimicking what’s going on across the globe, and it’s been very hot,” said Dr. Barry Keim, professor and program director of environmental health, climate and sustainability at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans.
Keim, a climatologist, said Louisiana’s humidity makes the heat feel even worse. He said humidity levels have also risen since the 1970s.
“Bottom line is, not only are the temperatures getting warmer, the humidity is going up, and then when you put the two together it just makes it feel horrible out here,” Keim said.
As the Fourth of July approaches, Keim said there will not be much relief in the form of rain. Louisiana is expected to stay hot and humid.
Forecasts show highs mainly in the low to mid-90s across Louisiana on Independence Day, with heat index values expected to reach the 100s in parts of the state and scattered afternoon storms possible
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Louisiana is expanding the fishing limit for its signature saltwater game fish as part of the state’s American 250 celebration, Gov. Jeff Landry and his Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Tyler Bosworth announced.
Bosworth signed a declaration of emergency to increase the red snapper bag limit from four fish per person to five fish per person for three days from July 2 to July 5 on Independence Day weekend.
“The celebration of America’s 250th birthday is a time to reflect on the blessings and abundant resources we have in our country and here in Louisiana, the Sportsman’s Paradise,’’ Bosworth said. “Increasing our red snapper limit to five fish is a way we’d like to thank the anglers of our state as they enjoy this special holiday with family and friends.’’
Landry is an avid angler, hunter and outdoorsman.
“The increase in the red snapper limit for the holiday weekend is a great way to celebrate America’s 250th birthday,” the governor said in a statement. “I look forward to seeing anglers across our state celebrating our nation’s independence in Sportsman’s Paradise.”
Louisiana is considered the epicenter of red snapper fishing in the Gulf of America, with Venice and Grand Isle as the state’s premier launching spots to reach the most prolific snapper grounds in the Gulf.
Venice is often call the “Red Snapper Capital.”
The state’s extensive offshore oil and gas rigs and artificial reefs provide exceptional access to massive populations for snapper, which are prized for their fight and taste.
Bosworth encourages anglers to reduce barotrauma while fishing for red snapper and other reef fish by using descending devices to return fish to a survivable depth before being released. See the LDWF barotrauma webpage for more information.
The bag limit will revert to four fish per person, per day on July 6.
For additional questions regarding the current red snapper season, go to the agency’s Red Snapper webpage.
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – A 53-year-old Louisiana man will serve 22 years in prison following a child sex crimes case that included possession of handmade childlike sex dolls — items that state lawmakers have since moved to ban.
Sabine Parish prosecutors say Yancy Elie Normand was sentenced after investigators received a tip that he forced someone to view child sexual abuse material. A search of his home allegedly uncovered more than 200 illegal files — including child sexual abuse material and bestiality — along with two handmade childlike sex dolls.
New state law bans child sex dolls
Louisiana lawmakers passed a law banning the possession, trafficking, and importation of child sex dolls statewide in 2024. State Sen. Beth Mizell said the push began after conversations with Homeland Security about human trafficking during the Super Bowl in New Orleans, at a time when the state had no specific law covering the dolls. The measure passed with near-unanimous support.
“I think the importance is that it’s a precursor to actual crimes against children,” Mizell said.
Mizell said the issue extends well beyond Louisiana’s borders.
“It’s a nationwide problem…when you look at just the volume of child abuse cases, to the point where our Attorney General now has multiple task forces in place all over the state,” Mizell said.
Task force expands statewide reach
The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office says protecting children remains the focus of its Louisiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Supervisory Special Agent Chris Masters leads the group, which now includes more than 80 agencies and 250 detectives.
Masters said the dolls are often misunderstood by the public.
“When people hear sex doll, they think of the blow-up thing. These things are thousands of dollars, and they’re anatomically appropriate to a child,” Masters said. “They’re gonna look like a child. It’s not just what you think on TV.”
Masters said coordination across agencies is essential to the task force’s work.
“It’s completely impossible if law enforcement is not together on the same page with the same type of training, the same access, the same type of equipment,” Masters said. “We can tend to continue expanding our partnerships until there is no safe haven for any sex predator or child predator in this state.”
Lawmakers urge parents to monitor children’s online activity
Mizell said the volume of harmful material accessible online makes parental awareness critical.
“You have access to abhorrent material online in your hand all day, every day,” Mizell said. “Pay attention. Don’t be afraid to look at your child’s phone.”
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