LSSC provides technical support to Unleash Local New Orleans in the battle to increase the minimum wage

Unleash New Orleans, one of the city chapters of Unleash Local in Louisiana, held a rally in April to garner support for repealing the law that preempts Louisiana cities from increasing their local minimum wages.

In the May 15th, American Prospect article, Blue City Challenge: Clawing Back Power from Red States, LSSC Director, Kim Haddow speaks about how conservatives have been using the preemption tool for several decades. Unleash Local is supporting a bill in the Louisiana State legislature, introduced by Democratic State Representative Royce Duplessis, that would overturn wage preemption once and for all. The bill would also allow cities to develop their own sick leave and vacation plans, which have also been barred by the state. The bill “doesn’t mandate anything,” Duplessis says, it “just lifts the restrictions,” though he concedes it’s “an attempt to give people an opportunity to have a living wage, just to have a fair chance.”