When the city was pulling in almost $10 billion just from tourism, very little of the dough went to city, hospitality, or other workers. Now we workers are being forced to carry the whole burden of the COVID crisis while super-rich get even richer.
Before the pandemic, the city was directing an annual $180 million in tourism taxes straight into the corporate accounts of private hospitality companies. Now, citing a $170 million deficit, City Hall has announced it plans to lay off 20% of workforce.
As thousands of New Orleans residents are being put out on the street, the city is going ahead with its plans to spend $400 million to renovate the Superdome so the Bensons and other super rich capitalists can make huge profits and pay no taxes.
For decades the city has exempted real estate developers, corporations, and luxury condo owners from taxes while we workers saw our rents, taxes, and utility costs go up and up. Now instead of making the rich pay up, they’re asking workers to sacrifice our lives.
The total wealth of US billionaires, like Jeff Bezos, of Amazon has soared $685 billion since the pandemic in the middle of March to a combined $3.65 trillion. We saw that after Katrina, school owners, developers, capitalists got rich while the people suffer still to this day. We say No More! Make the Rich Pay!
Stop putting the Crisis on our backs
The New Orleans Workers Group demands of the City:
- 50% salary cut, an end to credit cards, cars & perks for the mayor, city council, financial officers, lawyers and all their personal staff
- End all tax breaks for real estate developers and corporations
- Redirect our tax money from Superdome renovation to the people
- Return the years of stolen taxes ($180 million a year) by New Orleans & Company, the Sports Authority, and the Tourism Bureau
- Reinstate eviction & foreclosure ban
- Outlaw the purchase of our homes by developers
Put the people first, not last!