Thread: Day Laborers Are Easy Prey in New Orleans

February 16, 2009
Day Laborers Are Easy Prey in New Orleans
By ADAM NOSSITER
NEW ORLEANS — They are the men still rebuilding New Orleans more than three years after Hurricane Katrina, the head-down laborers from Honduras, Mexico and Guatemala who work on the blazing hot roofs and inside the fetid homes for a wad of cash at the end of the day.

But on the street, these laborers are known as “walking A.T.M.’s.â€

[quote]Many bluntly assigned a racial component, saying that it was “los morenosâ€

[quote]“What they really voice is: ‘That money was for the family. We don’t harm anybody. Why does anybody mess with us?’ â€

That's racial profiling - guess only Hispanics are allowed to do that.

Exactly.

What has always bothered me is that if these workers don't speak enough English, how can homeowners communicate what they want done? After Hurricane Andrew (1990), building codes were beefed up (hurricane straps on the roof and windows able to handle 110 mph winds). After Hurricane Charley made a direct hit on Lee and Charlotte counties in FL, we saw a huge influx of unlicensed "contractors" who came selling repair jobs and preying on the elderly. If you hire unlicensed people you have no legal recourse if they take your money and do not do the work to code. And if an unlicensed worker gets injured on your property because of his ineptitude, you could be sued. And of course, these unlicensed don't pay workmen's comp or taxes.
I honestly don't know if NO has publicized this problem.