Hey y'all —

Here's some of what's happening around New Orleans:

City workers are winning in the fight for stronger representation and a voice at work! On Tuesday, February 28, workers took their issues to the city council to voice their frustration with the mayor's administration.

At the hearing, City Councilmembers heard from city workers and union staff about severe hurdles to the organizing process facing city employees. Attending the meeting were representatives of AFSCME Council 17 and New Orleans City Workers Organizing Committee (NOCWOC). AFSCME Council 17 organizers testified to the recent difficulties they have faced from the Cantrell administration, which has refused the union access to some city department worksites and denied the union permission to represent workers in some disciplinary matters, all in contravention of the Memorandum of Understanding that the mayor's administration signed with Council 17 in July 2022. Library worker Lee Abbott, a member of NOCWOC and DSA New Orleans, addressed the need for an ordinance that regulates the union recognition process and stipulates the responsibility of the city to negotiate with the recognized union. Councilmember Moreno strongly supports the need for an ordinance and plans to introduce legislation later this month, co-authored with NOCWOC, to codify the collective bargaining rights and union recognition process for city workers.

This week the mayor's office has conceded: city workers and AFSCME can organize at City Hall! Read more about the win here.

Tonight! the fight against Entergy continues — our Make Entergy Pay campaign will be meeting to discuss future outreach and canvassing efforts. Join the zoom call for that here at 7pm.

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On Sunday, March 12th at 12pm, the Electoral Working Group will be meeting to discuss the formation of an electoral strategy for 2023 and beyond. Join that call here.

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Thanks to everyone who came out to show support in our fight against Short Term Rentals last week. According to our tally of 134 submitted online comments, approximately 120 called for stricter regulations, and 49 comments called for an outright ban. Keep calling, and keep the pressure on City Council. There were modest gains, but we can't back down now that we're so close to the finish.

There are two meetings remaining: The first is on Tuesday, March 14th, where Council will take up more regulations, and the final one is on Thursday, March 23rd, where the Council will hold its final vote. Make sure your voice is heard before then by emailing and calling your councilmembers — we need homes for workers, not for tourists!

Solidarity y'all — DSA New Orleans Local Council