WBRZ - Baton Rouge

Tagged News

• Three workers safe after scaffolding falls at OLOL

  May 1, 2013 11:32 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Three construction workers briefly dangled from scaffolding at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital this morning, according to the Baton Rouge Fire Department. Curt Monte with BRFD said they were uninjured, and brought to safety before rescue crews arrived on scene. Hospital spokeswoman Kelly Zimmerman... more »

• DOTD: No bridge tolls mean layoffs for workers

  March 7, 2013 7:49 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - State transportation officials say a suspension of bridge tolls at the Crescent City Connection in New Orleans means pink slips for 31 temporary workers hired pending the outcome of a contested November referendum. The Department of Transportation and Development, which runs the bridge, said Wednesday the layoffs... more »

• La. workers excited about minimum wage proposal Play Video

  February 13, 2013 5:05 PM

  BATON ROUGE - President Obama's proposal to raise the federal minimum wage $9 has many workers excited. "It would be nice, it would definitely help a lot of people out," said Jonathan Meyers in Baton Rouge. "It's not surprising to me, because I know he's trying to put... more »

• Obama launches push for immigration overhaul

  January 29, 2013 6:19 AM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is reviving his stalled proposals for overhauling the nation's immigration laws, calling for a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, improvements to the legal immigration system and more effective mechanisms for helping employers verify the status of workers. The president will launch his... more »

• Minimum wage gap grows wider between states

  December 31, 2012 2:20 PM

  OLYMPIA, Wash.- Hundreds of thousands of workers are set to get a pay raise to start 2013, as 10 states increase their minimum wage. Washington state will again lead the way Tuesday, raising its starting salary to $9.19 an hour. Washington was first to adopt automatic adjustments in 1998 to... more »

• Little time left to head off longshoremen's strike

  December 28, 2012 9:08 AM

  NEW YORK - Commerce could be brought to a near standstill at every major port from Boston to Houston if a walkout by thousands of dockworkers takes place. More than 14,000 longshoremen are threatening to go on strike Sunday - a wide-ranging work stoppage would close cargo ports on... more »

• 3 BP employees arraigned on Gulf oil spill charges

  November 28, 2012 3:44 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Two BP rig supervisors and a former BP executive have pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in the deadly Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and the company's response to the massive 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico. BP well site leaders Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine and... more »

• Hunt for deals begins with first line at area store

  November 21, 2012 9:56 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Still more than 24 hours before sales were available, a small group of people gathered outside an electronics store to be the first to get the deals. A few were outside the Best Buy near the Mall of Louisiana. The store doesn't open until midnight Friday morning.... more »

• Labor board still investigating Walmart dispute

  November 20, 2012 5:19 PM

  NEW YORK - Federal labor officials say they haven't decided whether to support a request by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to stop a union-backed group from encouraging worker walk-outs that are expected to culminate Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. The world's largest retailer, based in Bentonville, Ark.,... more »

• 2 workers shoulder blame for 2010 BP oil disaster

  November 19, 2012 3:14 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Federal authorities have blamed two rig supervisors for the deaths of 11 workers killed when the Deepwater Horizon exploded and spawned BP's massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, even though a string of investigations spread fault among a host of people and companies. A federal... more »

• New judge assigned to BP workers' criminal case

  November 16, 2012 3:14 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge has disqualified herself from presiding over the Justice Department's case against two BP supervisors charged with manslaughter in the deaths of 11 workers from the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion. U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown said in an order Friday that she is recusing... more »

• State Fair drug arrests: 3 carnies, 5 others

  November 12, 2012 10:30 AM

  SHREVEPORT - Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator and Shreveport Police Chief Willie Shaw say a drug operation at the Louisiana State Fair netted three carnival workers and five fair-goers. Drug agents made the arrests on Saturday. Seven were booked with possessing a drug; 41-year-old Timothy Haley of Hawkins, Texas, was... more »

• Vote shelved on Jindal health outsourcing plan Play Video

  November 1, 2012 4:55 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Gov. Bobby Jindal's top budget adviser scrapped a planned legislative vote on the governor's proposal to hire a private company to manage a state employee health insurance plan. Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols pulled the proposed contract between the Office of Group Benefits and Blue Cross/Blue Shield... more »

• NYC Fire Dept. at scene of dangling crane

  October 29, 2012 2:29 PM

  NEW YORK - Emergency workers are at the scene of a crane that's dangling off a 65-story building in New York City. Television images show part of the crane hanging off the luxury building on West 57th Street. No injuries are reported. However, streets have been cleared as a precaution.... more »

• Workers trapped in Fla. garage collapse

  October 10, 2012 11:48 AM

  MIAMI - A section of parking garage under construction at a Miami-Dade College campus has collapsed and a fire official says some workers are trapped in the rubble. Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue Lt. Arnold Piedrahita tells WSVN-TV that some workers could be heard calling from help inside the rubble shortly after Wednesday's... 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 »

• Lawmakers considering ideas to help poor retirees

  August 21, 2012 3:34 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers are trying to find ways, despite the state's ongoing budget woes, to boost retirement payments to retired state workers and public schools teachers. Thousands of those retirees receive benefits at or below the poverty level, the Senate Retirement Committee was told Tuesday. State senators said they... 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 »

• Penn State making workers report abuse allegations

  June 8, 2012 2:59 AM

  STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Penn State has instituted a new policy requiring all employees to report suspected child abuse to state authorities. The policy announced Thursday also requires annual training for any staffer in a position to report abuse. A school spokeswoman says the policy goes beyond current Pennsylvania law,... more »

• Sugarcane farmers use program to hire workers Play Video

  May 22, 2012 5:35 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Bobby Morris knows a thing or two about sugarcane farming. "I grew up on the farm, I'm a fourth-generation farmer," he told News 2. Morris Farms has about 1600 acres of sugarcanes, and a lot of hard work comes with that. That's made it difficult for... more »

• Iberville Head Start workers must reapply for jobs

  May 16, 2012 7:12 AM

  PLAQUEMINE- Employees of the parish's Head Start program may reapply for their positions at an upcoming job fair. The Head Start chief administrative officer, Edwards Songy, told parish councilmen Tuesday that the event, open only to current Head Start employees, will be held May 29-30 at Nottaway Plantation. Last month,... more »

• NYC hotels to equip workers with panic alarms

  February 8, 2012 8:55 AM

  NEW YORK - Hotels in New York City have agreed to equip their employees with panic alarms that would summon help in case of an emergency. New York Hotel Trades Council spokesman John Turchiano says the provision, which must be implemented within a year, is part of a new seven-year... more »

• CDC: Miners, construction, food workers smoke most

  September 29, 2011 11:17 AM

  ATLANTA - A new government report says construction workers, miners and food service workers are the occupations that smoke the most. Experts say that may have as much to do with education levels as the jobs themselves. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found 19.6 percent of... more »

• Trucks haul away fire fuel as WVU-LSU game looms

  September 22, 2011 1:24 PM

  MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Fire inspectors and workers are combing Morgantown, removing furniture and trash from the porches of hundreds of rental homes. Fire Capt. Ken Tennant says the cleanup has been under way since 9 a.m. Thursday. Many truckloads are being hauled away as the city tries to... more »

• Two oil rig workers remain missing in Gulf

  September 12, 2011 9:26 AM

  Mexico-The fate of two oil rig workers from Louisiana remains unknown this afternoon. The two disappeared along with eight other workers when they evacuated their disabled rig during Tropical Storm Nate. Two other wokers from Louisiana were found alive. Two bodies were also found but have not... more »

• La. oil workers missing off stormy Mexico coast

  September 9, 2011 1:55 PM

  MEXICO CITY - Mexico's state oil company says it is searching for 10 workers who were evacuated from a platform in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of Tropical Storm Nate. Four of the workers, who are employed by Houston-based Geokinetics Inc., are from New Iberia. Randy Reed, president... more »

• Feds say workers return to Gulf oil and gas jobs

  September 5, 2011 2:10 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Federal officials say offshore oil and gas workers in the Gulf of Mexico are going back to platforms and rigs that had been evacuated because of Tropical Storm Lee. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement said Monday in a news release that 232... more »

• Hundreds of Entergy workers return from Irene

  September 2, 2011 2:26 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Entergy Corp. says 225 workers who had been working to restore power in New Jersey after Hurricane Irene are on their way back to Louisiana, where Tropical Storm Lee is heading toward shore. The workers for Entergy New Orleans, Inc., Entergy Louisiana, LLC and Entergy Gulf... 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 »

• Shintech plant manager: Workers likely suffocated

  May 25, 2011 2:34 PM

  PLAQUEMINE, La. - Three investigations have been launched to determine what caused the deaths of two workers inside an industrial container at Shintech's Iberville Parish plant. Shintech, Louisiana State Police and the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration are all investigating the deaths, which happened Sunday.... more »

• Louisiana congressional delegates say no budget, no pay

  April 8, 2011 9:26 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A possible government shutdown means many federal workers won't get paid because they won't be able to work during a shutdown. But Congress, and the president, still get their pay checks. All three of our local Washington delegates say they're giving up their pay if the... more »

• Some state employees now on third year without raises

  April 6, 2011 5:54 PM

  BATON ROUGE- The Louisiana Civil Service Commission has approved a plan to block merit raises for about 60 thousand state employees. It will be the third year without a merit increase for about one-third of those workers, whose departments asked to have their raises suspended two years ago. ... more »

• Lost dog rescued from grave about to be filled

  February 9, 2011 2:27 PM

  DENHAM SPRINGS - Animal shelter workers pulled a lost dog from an open grave in Denham Springs today, and News 2 was there to see the rescue. Workers were called to a local graveyard after a dog had been found in the bottom of a grave shortly before a... more »

• Harrah's replaced full-time workers with part-time

  January 23, 2011 12:45 PM

  NEW ORLEANS- Harrah's New Orleans Casino is required by law to employee 2,400 people, but documents reveal that the company has replaced full-time workers in recent years with part-time and on-call employees. From summer 2008 to summer 2010, the number of full-time employees fell from 84 percent to 78... more »

• Senate passes health package for 9/11 workers

  December 22, 2010 2:08 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Senate has passed a package of health care and economic aid for people sickened by dust from the ruins of September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The measure was passed on a voice vote with no one objecting after Democrats and Republican critics... more »

• Debate continues over how to cut state employees

  December 20, 2010 2:59 PM

  BATON ROUGE - State officials agree cutting government costs involves shrinking the state's work force. But two years of debate over the topic have yet to yield any agreement about how best to eliminate jobs. There's not even consensus on how many people work for state government. The numbers range... more »

• Power restored at Brookstown Elementary

  December 15, 2010 8:38 AM

  BATON ROUGE - School officials said that maintenance workers were able to get the power back on at Brookstown Elementary, after a malfunction caused the school to lose power and heat yesterday. Chris Trahan with EBR Schools said Brookstown would still be opening two hours late because of the... more »

• BP official: Effort to shut Gulf well was 'late'

  December 8, 2010 9:16 AM

  HOUSTON - A BP vice president has told a federal investigative panel that workers on the doomed Gulf of Mexico oil rig were distracted by multiple activities going on simultaneously and didn't try to shut the well until 49 minutes after gas particles began flowing in. Steve Robinson, who led... more »

• Postal workers accused of tampering with mail

  December 6, 2010 4:00 PM

  BATON ROUGE – Four postal workers have been indicted by a federal grand jury, accused of tampering with the mail in their care. All four are accused of opening, delaying or detaining mail that was intended to be delivered. If convicted they could face a five-year prison sentence, a $250,000... more »

• Health firms ask La. judge to order contract rebid

  November 23, 2010 11:19 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Attorneys for Humana and UnitedHealthcare have asked a state judge to order the rebidding of a contract awarded to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana to administer the HMO plan for state workers, retirees and their dependents. Lawyers representing Blue Cross and the state Office of... more »

• Indicted daycare workers out on bond

  November 9, 2010 5:29 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Three women indicted in the 2009 death of a child in a daycare van have bonded out of the East Baton Rouge jail. Indictments for negligent homicide were handed down for Wanda Connor, Michelle Veals and Kyandrea Thomas last week. Today, the three were booked into... more »

• Baton Rouge unemployment down, entire state gains jobs

  October 27, 2010 12:02 PM

  State labor officials say Louisiana gained 18,100 non-farm jobs from September 2009 to September 2010. The Louisiana Workforce Commission said Wednesday that over the past 12 months, 20,600 jobs have been added to the service sector. The goods-producing sector - including petroleum, manufacturing and construction - has been reduced by... more »

• Officials surprised by low number of BP fund applicants

  September 14, 2010 5:54 PM

  Less than a quarter of oil rig workers who've been without a job due to the moratorium on deep water drilling have applied to get their cut of a check from BP. Earlier this summer, the oil giant gave the Baton Rouge Area Foundation $100 million in grant funds to... more »

• Oil platform explodes in Gulf, on fire

  September 2, 2010 10:40 AM

  Another explosion has occurred at an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, this one about 80 miles south of Vermillion Bay along the central Louisiana coast. The rig is Vermillion oil rig 380 and is owned by Mariner Energy. It had 13 workers aboard at the time, all... more »

• Firm chosen to process fund applications

  August 27, 2010 4:53 AM

  A Covington company has been hired to process applications for money from a $100 million fund set up by BP to help oil rig workers idled by a federal moratorium on new deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The Louisiana charity running the program, the Gulf Coast Restoration and... more »

• Gov't: 23K workers affected by Gulf oil drill ban

  August 21, 2010 9:45 AM

  Government documents show that more than 23,000 workers are affected by the moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. According a memo last month from Michael Bromwich, the nation's top drilling regulator, the six-month suspension is directly putting 9,450 people out of work. The memo also says the... more »

• Professor: Moratorium not affecting jobs as predicted

  August 19, 2010 10:23 PM

  Oil workers are not lining up to file for unemployment. Only 600 claims have come in so far, according to the state. A professor at LSU said that's far below the thousands predicted, and it's for a reason. "There are a number of mitigating circumstances out there that have... more »

• Dams divert Paincourtville oil

  August 18, 2010 7:10 PM

  Workers in Paincourtville are busy installing dams containing oil-tainted runoff from sugarcane fields. They are also re-directing runoff from non-contaminated fields through diversion channels. However, recent rains in the area have not helped the Department of Environmental Quality, which has been working on the dams and channels since the... more »

• Union Tank Car adding workers at Louisiana plant

  August 10, 2010 8:46 AM

  Union Tank Car Co. was planning to hire 80 to 100 new workers at its Alexandria plant- a move that will still have the manufacturer below peak employment. Company officials said the exact number of new workers will depend upon the state of the economy. They also said... more »

• U.S. Productivity drops in the spring

  August 10, 2010 8:10 AM

  Productivity dropped this spring for the first time in more than a year, a sign that companies may need to hire more workers in the near future. Worker productivity declined at annual rate of 0.9 percent in the April-to-June quarter after posting large gains throughout 2009, the Labor Department... more »

• Thousands of rig workers eligible for grants

  August 2, 2010 11:00 AM

  Close to 9,000 people will be eligible for grants from a $100 million fund to help struggling oil rig workers because of the federal moratorium on new deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf Coast Restoration and Protection Foundation, an affiliate of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation,... more »

• BP establishes $100 million fund through Baton Rouge foundation

  July 30, 2010 9:08 AM

  BP today announced the company will establish a $100 million fund to help unemployed rig workers experiencing economic hardship as a result of the moratorium on deepwater drilling imposed by the United States federal government. The Rig Worker Assistance Fund will be administered through the Gulf Coast Restoration and Protection... more »

• Some BP Workers Being Temporarily Laid Off

  July 22, 2010 12:02 PM

  As weather continues to churn in the Gulf, clean up contractors working for B.P are getting more bad news. Boaters involved in the Vessels of Opportunity Program (VOO) are temporarily being laid off. The boat captains and deck hands were given the bad news as they arrived for work... more »

• Small fire leads to evacuation of staging vessel

  July 21, 2010 8:57 AM

  Authorities say 130 people were evacuated from a vessel that housed oil spill response workers when an electrical outlet caught fire Tuesday, but there were only "very minor" injuries. The injuries included a man who bumped his elbow while using a fire extinguisher and another who complained of having a... more »

• Officials, workers say second moratorium is harmful

  July 12, 2010 10:06 PM

  The feds stopped deepwater drilling again with a new moratorium today. The government says it's to prevent harm to the environment, but some say it harms people. For 84 days, BP has been chasing this runaway reservoir. For half that time, Biloxi native Tommy Gryder has been chasing jobs.... more »

• Businesses add workers under program that provides tax breaks

  July 12, 2010 10:33 AM

  The Treasury Department says businesses have added 4.5 million workers under a new program that provides tax breaks for hiring unemployed workers. The bill passed in March exempts businesses that hire people who have been unemployed for at least 60 days from paying the 6.2 percent Social Security payroll... more »

• State Fire Marshal helps oil spill workers find housing

  July 2, 2010 5:57 PM

  Finding enough housing for those working in the clean-up is a problem. News 2’s Rob Krieger got answers on how the State Fire Marshal has made it easier to create safe housing. more »

• Judge tells state to reconsider contract

  June 22, 2010 6:45 AM

  A judge has ordered the state to reconsider its contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana to administer the HMO health plan for state workers, retirees and their dependents. Humana previously held the contract, which is scheduled to take effect July 1. State District Judge Mike Caldwell says... more »

• Humane Society: More animal rescue workers needed

  June 14, 2010 3:02 PM

  The president of the Humane Society of the United States says efforts to find and rescue birds and other animals endangered by the oil spill are inadequate. Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive of the animal advocate group, says a seven-member panel of experts said the rescue is being... 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 »

• 100 workers needed for coast, job fair Tuesday

  June 12, 2010 11:27 AM

  A job fair in Bastrop, La. offers 100 temporary security jobs for Gulf of Mexico oil spill duty along the coast, hundreds of miles away. Hub Enterprises of Broussard has a contract with BP PLC for security officers and supervisors from Venice to Cameron. The Louisiana Workforce Commission's... more »

• Obama to meet families of 11 killed in oil spill

  June 10, 2010 6:15 AM

  Today President Barack Obama will meet with relatives of the 11 workers killed in the Gulf of Mexico oil rig explosion. The family members were meeting the president at the White House, where he was to offer his condolences for their losses. more »

• Gulf spill workers complaining of flulike symptoms

  June 3, 2010 5:25 AM

  Eleven workers who were cleaning up oil in the Gulf of Mexico have been treated for flulike symptoms that could be related to the oil. Dr. Damon Dietrich says he has seen patients come through his emergency room at West Jefferson Medical Center with respiratory problems, headaches and nausea. All... more »

• Shuttle workers get $ to find jobs

  June 2, 2010 8:35 PM

  Workers for NASA will get additional federal money to help look for jobs when the shuttle program ceases later this year. The $15 million in emergency grant money was announced by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis at Cape Canaveral. The money will assist about 3,200 contractors who work on the... more »

• First-aid tent set up for sick workers in Grand Isle

  May 31, 2010 10:47 AM

  West Jefferson Medical Center is setting up a tent to treat workers cleaning up the oil spill in Grand Isle. The first-aid tent will be open seven days a week from six a.m. to ten p.m. The hospital treated more than a dozen workers so far. Four of them... more »

• DHH: avoid chiggers, gators while cleaning spill

  May 27, 2010 5:42 AM

  Louisiana's health department says oil spill workers need to watch out for poison oak, chiggers and alligators as well as knowing how to stay safe around oil and dispersants. Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine says getting the right training is crucial, and workers should follow federal guidelines for safety... more »

• Rig blast survivors to testify in probe

  May 26, 2010 5:30 AM

  Workers who survived a deadly explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig will testify before a panel of officials investigating the cause of the well blowout. Hearings for a joint investigation by the Coast Guard and Minerals Management Service are scheduled to resume today and run through Saturday. The six-member... more »

• Memorial for oil workers

  May 25, 2010 7:17 AM

  The 11 workers who were killed when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded will be remembered in a memorial service this afternoon in Jackson, Miss. The explosion triggered a massive leak that's been spilling into the Gulf of Mexico for more than a month. BP's attempts to stop the leak... more »

• Workers Gear Up

  May 1, 2010 1:14 PM

  These folks are getting training for oil containment. Be sure to tune in to News 2 at 6 tonight, to follow our Rob Krieger for the story. more »

• Workers sought for oil spill cleanup

  May 1, 2010 3:23 AM

  Louisiana will begin taking applications Saturday for a company seeking to hire 500 workers to clean up the growing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Advanced Industrial Services/GCPG Services International is conducting its search across the Gulf Coast, and long lines were reported Friday at an application location... more »

• Workers missing after Gulf of Mexico oil rig explosion

  April 21, 2010 9:04 AM

  The Coast Guard says at least 11 people are missing and seven hurt after an explosion and fire at an oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana. The rig -- which is still burning -- is owned by Transocean Ltd. of Houston, and under contract to BP.... more »

• 11 missing & 7 injured in rig explosion

  April 21, 2010 6:21 AM

  Update: At least 11 people are missing - and possibly as many as 15 - and seven injured after an explosion and fire at an oil drilling platform off the coast of Louisiana. Crews are searching for missing workers who evacuated after an explosion at an oil drilling platform off... more »

• Search for evacuated workers after oil rig explosion

  April 21, 2010 5:14 AM

  Crews are searching for missing workers who evacuated after an explosion at an oil drilling platform off the coast of Louisiana. The explosion happened around 10 p.m. Tuesday, 52 miles southeast of Venice, La., while 126 workers were aboard the platform called Deepwater Horizon. No deaths were reported, but there... more »

• Race on to rescue 153 trapped Chinese coal miners

  March 29, 2010 8:15 AM

  Rescuers in China are racing to free 153 coal miners who've been trapped deep underground by a flood since Sunday. Some 261 workers were inside the mine when it flooded more than 24 hours ago, and 108 either escaped or were rescued. So far, there's been no contact with those... more »

• Actor Danny Glover tried to save jobs

  March 23, 2010 8:31 PM

  Actor Danny Glover went to a men's suit factory in Brooklyn, Ohio trying to save jobs since the plant faces a shutdown next month and 375 people will lose work. Workers at the Hugo Boss plant cheered as he toured the operation. Glover led a boycott of Hugo Boss formal... more »

• Pay raises blocked for unclassified employees

  March 19, 2010 12:25 PM

  Gov. Bobby Jindal issued an executive order Friday freezing merit pay increases for Louisiana's unclassified employees. The order was announced just a few hours after the Louisiana Civil Service Commission approved a one year freeze for classified workers. The freeze goes into effect at the start of the... more »

• Construction workers arrested in Livingston Parish

  March 10, 2010 10:07 AM

  More than a dozen illegal aliens were arrested Wednesday at a construction site in Livingston Parish, according to the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office. Investigators say deputies targeted the North Oaks medical complex in Satsuma after receiving repeated complaints that illegal aliens were doing construction work there. 18 people were arrested.... 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 »

• Lawsuit filed over plant explosion

  February 22, 2010 5:19 PM

  Two workers filed a lawsuit against a power plant company in Connecticut owned by O&G Industries after a deadly explosion. The workers say proper safety procedures were not followed and led to the explosion earlier this month. Six workers were killed and 20 were injured in the blast. ... more »

• Daycare changes considered

  December 14, 2009 5:35 PM

  Changes are being considered for daycare workers and contractors at child care facilities. The workers and contractors are currently required to have a background check for every facility where they work. State Rep. Joseph Lopinto says a state certification should be valid at all schools for a specific amount... more »

• Disaster management firm moves to NC

  December 14, 2009 11:21 AM

  A disaster management consultant firm based in Baton Rouge is moving its headquarters to North Carolina. The announcement concerning Innovative Emergency Management Inc. was made Monday by North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue's office. IEM was promised state tax breaks of up to $9 million if it meets job and investment... more »

• Civil Service panel meets on pay plan

  December 7, 2009 6:43 AM

  The state Civil Service Commission meets Tuesday to discuss a proposal that affects the future pay of about 61,000 rank-and-file Louisiana government employees. The seven-member commission could vote as early as Wednesday on its staff's recommendation to end the 4 percent annual pay raise received by nearly all classified state... more »

• Rhodia union OKs new contract

  November 16, 2009 6:52 AM

  Union workers at Rhodia's Baton Rouge chemical plant are returning to work after they ratified a new three-year labor agreement, ending a strike that began Nov. 3. The new agreement is similar to an agreement rejected by the workers Nov. 2, but it includes changes to an after-hours callout procedure.... more »

• State worker pay plan delayed

  November 4, 2009 5:14 PM

  Louisiana state workers are speaking out about all the criticism over their pay raises. Merit raises for 61,000 classified workers has been the subject of many state budget meetings. The four percent increases have been almost automatic for several years. The civil service commission is considering a change to... more »

• Rough weather sending home workers early

  October 22, 2009 2:20 PM

  Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden encouraged his appointed department heads to allow their non-essential employees to leave work at 2 p.m., due to severe weather in the area. A storm system is expected to bring heavy rain of up to three inches. Flash flooding and tornados are also possible.... more »