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• Labor probe finds more than $73K due to employees

  March 27, 2013 7:46 AM

  HOUMA - An electrical company has paid more than $73,000 in back wages to 15 current and former employees following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor. The department found that Eagle Electric Inc. failed to pay employees prevailing wage rates, overtime and fringe benefits for work on a... more »

• Coca-Cola to cut 750 jobs in US

  March 21, 2013 9:28 AM

  NEW YORK - Coca-Cola says it's cutting 750 jobs in the U.S. as it continues to streamline its business. The world's biggest beverage maker says the jobs cuts will be across the board and that affected individuals will be notified in coming weeks. The cuts represent roughly 1 percent of... more »

• Survey: Low-wage workers gloomy about future

  March 20, 2013 7:51 AM

  WASHINGTON - A new survey says many Americans earning $35,000 a year or less view their jobs as a dead end. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey polled lower-wage workers and employers. Sixty-seven percent of the workers said they see "a little" or "no opportunity"... more »

• E. Feliciana Parish jurors raise workers' pay

  February 20, 2013 7:06 AM

  CLINTON - The East Feliciana Parish Police Jury has approved pay raises of 50 cents an hour for its 23 employees that will cost the parish about $24,000. The jury's Personnel and Finance committees proposed the cost-of-living raises Tuesday, while taking no action regarding merit raises for key personnel. The... more »

• Official: Report on leave inaccurate

  January 15, 2013 9:02 AM

  PLAQUEMINE - Iberville Parish School Superintendent Ed Cancienne has challenged the facts stated in a recent attorney general's opinion alleging the school district had violated state law by letting 12-month employees work "skeleton shifts" during holiday breaks. Cancienne and Brandie Blanchard, the district's personnel coordinator, told members of the Iberville... more »

• Donaldsonville employees get pay raise

  January 11, 2013 6:54 AM

  DONALDSONVILLE - Full-time Donaldsonville city employees are getting their first pay raise in five years. City officials said workers will receive a 3.5 percent across-the-board raise, with the remaining pay boosts awarded based on merit at Mayor Leroy Sullivan Sr.'s discretion. Funding for the $74,530 in raises will... more »

• Sorrento hires 2 new police officers

  December 31, 2012 8:35 AM

  SORRENTO - The shorthanded Sorrento Police Department will get some much-needed help soon. The Town Council unanimously approved during a special meeting Friday the hiring of two new police officers. James Bell, who Police Chief Earl Theriot said had worked previously for the Scott Police Department, and former... more »

• 4 ex-LSU Eunice employees charged with theft

  December 28, 2012 1:46 PM

  NEW ORLEANS- Acadia Parish prosecutors have filed theft and forgery charges against four former LSU Eunice employees accused of running up nearly $160,000 in fraudulent purchases made with school-issued credit cards. Court records show federal authorities also are investigating allegations that four women who worked in the school's Office of... more »

• Slidell mayor warns of possible layoffs

  November 8, 2012 8:45 AM

  SLIDELL - Slidell Mayor Freddy Drennan has warned city workers about possible layoffs beginning in January because of an unexpected slump in city sales tax revenues. Drennan says he met with many of the city's 300 employees on Tuesday and notified them that jobs may be cut if the... more »

• WBR school employees to get extra check

  October 18, 2012 7:32 AM

  PORT ALLEN - The West Baton Rouge Parish School Board has unanimously approved a request from Superintendent David Corona to give the district's nearly 600 employees a 13th check in the amount of $800. The check will be issued to employees in December and funded through the school district's... more »

• E. Feliciana school board panel votes for layoffs

  October 11, 2012 10:20 AM

  CLINTON - The East Feliciana School Board's Finance Committee has voted to support laying off enough school employees to offset a looming deficit resulting from a drop in enrollment. The recommendation to begin the layoffs effective Oct. 31 goes to the full board for consideration at a special meeting Tuesday.... more »

• Four DPW workers arrested in EBR for fuel theft

  October 2, 2012 5:21 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Police arrested four Department of Public Works employees in East Baton Rouge Parish in suspicion of stealing gas from city-parish fueling stations. According to the EBR Mayor-President's Office, police arrested Ensley Joseph, Rodney Maxwell, Joyce Gatlin, and Lawrence Smith this morning. Interim Public Works Director... more »

• Student enrollment drops, employees cut in EFP Play Video

  September 28, 2012 6:00 PM

  CLINTON - Students in East Feliciana Parish school are leaving the parish. As a result, 20 school employees could lose their jobs. The district lost more than 100 students this year, resulting in a decrease of $800,000 in state money for the year. To make up for the loss,... more »

• Donaldsonville approves employee raises

  September 28, 2012 10:10 AM

  DONALDSONVILLE - The Donaldsonville City Council has approved a plan that would give municipal employees a pay raise for the first time in five years. However, councilmen altered a proposed plan by the city administration to do so, choosing a merit-based system rather than an across-the-board increase. Finance... more »

• La. continues to shed state government jobs

  September 17, 2012 9:59 AM

  BATON ROUGE - 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, says the latest figures show that from July 1, 2008, to Aug.... more »

• New tax allows teachers to resume receiving raises

  September 12, 2012 7:41 AM

  ST. FRANCISVILLE - A half-cent sales tax voters approved in April will allow West Feliciana Parish school employees this year to regain their annual step raises for the first time in two years. Although the general fund budget for 2012-13 the school board does not include a cost-of-living raise,... more »

• State offices staying closed in 13 parishes

  August 30, 2012 7:00 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Flooding, road conditions and power outages in the wake of Isaac led officials to keep state offices in 13 parishes closed Friday. Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater announced state offices would be closed in the following parishes: Plaquemines St. Bernard Orleans ... more »

• BRPD investigating "unusual" robbery, kidnapping Play Video

  August 6, 2012 3:54 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Police said three fast food workers were kidnapped by two armed suspects during a robbery near Sherwood Forest and Coursey Boulevard overnight. An employee at the store said two men walked in with their faces covered and demnaded cash. The workers at the store complied, and were... more »

• Report: Nuclear safety chief bullied workers

  June 26, 2012 3:36 PM

  WASHINGTON- An internal investigation has concluded that the departing chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission engaged in bullying and intimidation, creating a tense working environment at the agency. The report by the NRC's inspector general found at least 15 instances when NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko acted in a way that... more »

• The Times-Picayune employees learn fate

  June 12, 2012 10:55 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Employees are meeting with managers of The Times-Picayune as the newspaper prepares to trim its staff and publish three days a week. Parent company Advance Publications plans to form a new company to oversee one of the nation's oldest newspapers and its affiliated website, NOLA.com. The Times-Picayune... more »

• Kinder casino seeking employees

  April 9, 2012 7:52 AM

  KINDER - A job fair is set for Tuesday for the Coushatta Casino Resort, which says it needs employees for its new casino-hotel development in Kinder and other corporate positions. The event will take place from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Northwest Community Center in Eunice. It's co-sponsored by the... more »

• State employees could get pay raises next year

  March 9, 2012 6:26 AM

  BATON ROUGE- Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration has opened the door for pay raises for some state employees in the next fiscal year. Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater says agencies aren't getting money to pay for salary boosts, but they can give raises if they can find savings in their... more »

• Employees advised they can oppose pension changes

  March 8, 2012 11:04 AM

  BATON ROUGE- The civil service department is advising Louisiana's state employees that they can talk with lawmakers, testify at legislative hearings, attend public rallies and otherwise express their views on Gov. Bobby Jindal's proposals to change their retirement benefits and contributions. The Advocate reports that the department issued a memo... more »

• Jeanerette planning to lay off city employees

  December 19, 2011 5:36 AM

  JEANERETTE - The city will have to lay off some of its employees, though it's not known yet how many will be terminated. Jeanerette officials have been cutting back on expenses, including trimming the number of hours each week that City Hall is open. Mayor Tim de'Clouet told the Board... more »

• Illegal Christmas bonuses? Play Video

  December 15, 2011 7:31 AM

  PORT ALLEN - The fallout from former Port Allen mayor Derek Lewis's corruption scandal has trickled down to city officials. And now, the city council has uncovered financial wrongdoings stemming back to 1994. An audit recently revealed that employees unknowingly received thousands of dollars in Christmas bonuses that... more »

• Five DPW workers suspended

  August 1, 2011 6:05 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Five Department of Public Works employees in Baton Rouge face suspension without pay after errors were discovered on their timesheets. Housekeeper Ruth Stephney was suspended two days without pay. Trades technician Michael Robinson and custodian Earlene Carney will both face five-day suspensions without pay. Trades technician... more »

• Jindal continues state's partial hiring freeze

  July 7, 2011 10:41 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Gov. Bobby Jindal has started the new budget year by ordering a partial hiring freeze that will require most state agencies to get approval from Jindal's budget chief before adding new workers. The executive order announced Thursday, covers the 2011-12 fiscal year, which ends June 30.... more »

• Krotz Spring PD gets new employees

  January 17, 2011 5:44 PM

  KROTZ SPRINGS - The Krotz Springs Police Department is returning to normal, after nearly the entire department quit and more than a dozen new police officers were hired. Most of the department resigned just before the new chief, Norman Mouille, took office. After quickly going through both old and... more »

• Job openings drop sharply in September

  November 9, 2010 10:14 AM

  WASHINGTON - Job openings dropped sharply in September, a sign that hiring is likely to remains weak over the next several months. The Labor Department said Tuesday that employers advertised 2.9 million jobs at the end of September. That's a drop of 163,000, or 5.3 percent from the previous... more »

• Daycare workers indicted in 2009 child's death

  November 4, 2010 10:06 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A former Baton Rouge daycare owner and two employees have been indicted in suspicion of negligent homicide in the 2009 death of a child in their care. A grand jury in Baton Rouge handed down the indictments today for Wanda Connor, the former owner of "Wanda's Kids... more »

• State health employees being furloughed to avoid layoffs

  September 17, 2010 10:24 AM

  Some 250 employees of a local state agency that treats mental health and addictive disorders will be furloughed for seven days without pay to avoid a $518,000 deficit, the agency's executive director said. The move is being taken to avoid state employee layoffs, Capital Area Human Service District Executive Director... more »

• Settlement resolves probe of McNeese State

  September 10, 2010 5:21 AM

  A settlement with the Justice Department calls for McNeese State University to improve access to its Lake Charles campus for disabled students, employees and visitors. The settlement resolves an investigation the Justice Department launched in 2008 to review the school's compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Justice Department... more »

• 4 plead guilty in disaster food stamp cases

  August 17, 2010 6:26 AM

  Four former state employees have pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to disaster food stamp fraud. Angela Gray, Edie Harrison, Paula Bell, and Felicia Carroll all pled guilty. Gray, Harrison and Bell were employees of the state Department of Social Services in St. Mary Parish. Carroll worked for... more »

• Officials investigate inmate-visitor sex at Angola

  July 27, 2010 6:20 AM

  More than 100 people have been questioned concerning allegations that some state penitentiary employees were "paid to turn their back" while inmates had sexual relations with visiting wives and girlfriends. West Feliciana Parish Sheriff J. Austin Daniel says two employees resigned to avoid disciplinary action, one correctional officer has been... more »

• NO mayor creates new policy for taking cars home

  July 16, 2010 5:16 AM

  Mayor Mitch Landrieu has revised the city's policy on allowing employees to take them home. Only employees whose job assignment and responsibilities that are beneficial to the city and require them to respond to onsite city-related incidences on a 24-hour basis will be issued a city vehicle. Under the revised... more »

• LSU reveals proposal to cut jobs, research, scholarships

  July 13, 2010 10:30 PM

  LSU laid out its worst case scenario in anticipation of more budget cuts. The plan calls for canning more than 250 jobs on the Baton Rouge campus, and that doesn't include faculty positions yet. The proposal is for the 2011 school year. The LSU system expects to lose more... more »

• School budget cuts 63 positions

  June 23, 2010 7:02 AM

  The East Feliciana Parish School Board has approved scaled-down budgets and a reduction in employees because of consolidated schools. Last week a judge approved combining the Clinton and Jackson high school student bodies in Jackson and the two middle schools' students in Clinton. About 63 positions will be eliminated and... more »

• OSHA cites postal service in Baton Rouge

  June 15, 2010 6:40 AM

  The U.S. Postal Service's Baton Rouge processing and distribution center has been cited for allegedly exposing employees to electrical hazards. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the violation and proposed penalties totaling $97,500. The facility has 15 days to comply, ask for an informal conference... more »

• Report: Employers to see 2011 medical costs jump

  June 14, 2010 5:51 AM

  A consulting firm says next year U.S. companies should anticipate another big increase in medical costs and many workers will be expected to pay a bigger share. The PricewaterhouseCoopers report says for the first time, most of the American workforce is expected to have health insurance deductibles of $400 or... more »

• Bossier City lawsuits, settlements cost $1.7M

  June 9, 2010 7:22 AM

  Wrecks involving Bossier City employees cost the city nearly $1 million in the last five years. Many of those accidents -- including a 2006 head-on collision that resulted in a $240,000 payout -- involved the city's police department. Not all of the money, though, was paid out of Bossier City... more »

• About 100 school employees to be reassigned

  June 3, 2010 6:05 AM

  The Rapides Parish School District plans to cut about $4 million from the budget, and will reassign about 100 employees. The plan calls for using consolidation and attrition to eliminate positions, but it does not require any layoffs of existing employees. The plan, designed by Superintendent Gary Jones, is in... more »

• Man arrested for running a hiring scam

  May 26, 2010 6:30 AM

  Alexandria police arrested a man they say was running a hiring scam when he was meeting with potential "employees" at a local motel. Police say about 20 men were there to meet with Dereius Davis, who said he could hire them for work at the Diamond B Construction company. When... more »

• Gonzales council cuts pay raises

  May 25, 2010 6:23 AM

  The Gonzales City Council has approved a measure to reduce the rate at which annual merit raises are given to city employees. The ordinance brings city regulations governing pay raises in line with changes laid out in the 2011 budget. The change reduced the annual merit raise from 5 percent... more »

• State report questions overtime pay at center

  April 28, 2010 7:15 AM

  An inspector general's report questions whether employees at a state-run developmental center in Ruston worked massive amounts of overtime for which they got paid. The report says ten employees with the state Department of Health and Hospitals Northeast Supports and Services Center received $407,000 for more than 23,000 hours of... more »

• Cleanup continues at Baton Rouge restaurant

  April 26, 2010 8:44 AM

  An irresponsible smoker caused a popular pancake restaurant in Baton Rouge to go up in flames. Fire ripped through the IHOP on Siegen Lane yesterday afternoon forcing dozens of employees and customers to run for their lives. Investigators tell News 2 a smoker threw a cigarette into a pile of... more »

• Lafourche Parish schools to lay off 120

  April 23, 2010 5:46 AM

  The Lafourche Parish School Board approved sweeping layoffs, and up to 120 employees will lose their job. The cuts will affect 98 full-time and 22 part-time positions, including 65 classroom teachers, six office administrators and dozens of support staffers such as cafeteria workers, janitors and bus drivers. Other moneysaving moves... more »

• Hundreds of school employees could lose jobs

  April 5, 2010 7:12 AM

  Hundreds of public-school employees in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes could lose their jobs as local school boards struggle to cope with falling tax revenue and spiraling costs. According to the Daily Comet, more than 150 Terrebonne school employees could be forced out of their jobs. School officials say more than... more »

• Trial date set for ex-Richwood mayor

  April 2, 2010 7:39 AM

  A trial date of July 12 has been set for former Richwood Mayor Ed Harris, who faces a charged of malfeasance. State District Court Judge Wilson Rambo also set on Thursday a preliminary hearing for any motions June 21. Harris had entered a not guilty plea Sept. 10. The charge... more »

• Washington refinery fire kills 3, 4 critically injured

  April 2, 2010 7:28 AM

  Update: Three people dead, four critically injured after oil refinery explosion and fire in Washington. Tesoro Corp. says one person died in an early morning fire at its refinery in Anacortes, Wash., and that emergency responders are looking for three missing workers. The company says in a news release... more »

• Dresser Inc. to lay off 86 workers

  March 10, 2010 6:24 AM

  A total of 86 employees at Dresser Inc.'s facility in Tioga will be phased out over the first six months of this year. The Tioga valve facility, which has more than 400 employees, is outsourcing its manufacturing operations and focusing on assembly and shipping. In order to remain competitive, the... more »

• Early pension checks sent to state retirees

  January 5, 2010 8:53 AM

  More than 30,000 retired state employees erroneously got their January pension checks in December, creating a big headache for them and the pension system. The Louisiana State Employees Retirement System sent some $40 million in electronic checks to 34,866 retiree accounts Dec. 22 a month early. LASERS spokeswoman Robyn Ekings... more »