Making Temporary Work, Work for New Orleans
Publication submitted by NOWCRJ and CLASP to the Mayor’s Office, City of New Orleans
This paper documents, from worker testimony and the public record, how the systems around Mardi Gras cleanup labor have not worked for the people who make our city’s signature celebration possible, and it hands you the fix in two parts. Part One is seven wins your administration can deliver before Carnival 2027 under existing authority, beginning with a public Labor Compliance Audit of city contracts that remaining federal ARPA funds can lawfully finance before they expire December 31, 2026. Part Two is the New Orleans Fair Work Ordinance, which makes the protection permanent for every temporary worker in the city, built entirely within the authority state preemption leaves untouched.