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> $2,480 for less than two hours of work to cover each damaged roof in New Orleans

2 October 2005, 07:12

What is sad about this is the workers who have flocked here under various sub-contractors. The actual worker gets only 2.5 cents a square foot. For you math folks that’s 0.025 * 10,000. If the crew (four men + foreman on the roof) hit their target of 10,000 sq ft/day they earn $250.00 a day each. The foreman gets 3 cents (0.03) for a whopping 0.13 cents/sq ft. That’s what we were promised anyway and would be okay, but even that is no good if Shaw won’t give us the footage.

The reality is there is work everywhere but we’re only getting issued 700-1500 sq ft a day by Shaw and their sub A-1. We have crews living out of campers, RVs, tents and lawn chairs in the parking lot. Folks quit their jobs to come do this and earn some money. So far we’ve spent far more than we’ve made. I’m talking thou$ands to get to this point. With only 1500 sq ft of work issued to a crew that’s only $37.50. We haven’t even covered gas the last three days much less food. If it were not for the relief centers and MRE’s we’d have many very hungry people.

There is little to no organization / information on the ground here. No one seems to be in charge at this site. The term "Charlie-Foxtrot" is an understatement. If someone IS in charge they need to flogged, then fired. Our crew is staying at Shaw’s "Disaster Response Site" of Veterans in Metairie. It’s pathetic. Gross. I wouldn’t let my animals stay in these conditions of filth. As a soldier in the field I never experienced conditions this bad. I’ve asked questions, and worked the chain of command but Shaw points at A-1, A-1 points at Shaw, Shaw points at the Corps of Engr. and the Corps tells Shaw they need to do their job and everyone tell us (workers) to just be patient. In the mean time the "re-construction" crews are living in un-hygienic, pathetic squalor. Too few porta potties. We took pictures of them over flowing and the effluent covered street everyone has to walk thru. Shaw’s definition of a shower is a porta pottie with a garden hose stuck through the ceiling and the water running all over the parking lot. Shaw could have pumped the human waste out of it first. I refuse to let my men use it. I drive them west on I-10 back across the bridge to the nearest truck stop to use the showers.

With work all around us Shaw and A-1 have give our 8 crews about 1500 sq ft a day. Most of the crews are worried and ready to cut their losses and head home. What a waste of our money. Somebody’s getting rich but it ain’t the guys who show up to do your roof. $1.75/ft to Shaw, $0.025 to the worker. We’re willing to do the work, if they would just give it to us.

ttfn