USPS wants to move N.O. mail-sorting services to B.R.
The U.S. Postal Service announced today plans to close its mail-sorting center in New Orleans and consolidate the services in Baton Rouge. The plan also calls for a vastly reduced role for another sorting center in Lafayette. Under the proposal, both incoming and outgoing mail currently processed in New Orleans would be shifted to Baton Rouge, while outgoing mail currently handled in Lafayette would be handled locally. The Lafayette center would continue to handle incoming mail. USPS did not make it clear how many employees might be affected by the consolidation. Postal Service spokesman McKinney Boyd says about 400 people currently work at the Baton Rouge center. The sorting center in New Orleans currently employs about 800, while about 200 workers could be affected in Lafayette. Boyd says the number of employees who will be affected will depend on how many seek transfers, retirement or other positions. The consolidation is a part of a much larger USPS proposal to Congress to close 254 mail-sorting centers and 3,700 post offices as the agency deals with a $23 million-a-day loss that is threatening it with insolvency. Until Congress finishes studying the proposals, the USPS cannot act on the closure plans until at least May 15. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu says he will fight "this ill-advised decision, which fails to consider all the factors that will impact future mail delivery costs and the needs of southern Louisiana."
La. Workforce Commission, U.S. Labor Department partner against employee misclassification
The U.S. Department of Labor and the Louisiana Workforce Commission have signed a memorandum of understanding addressing the misclassification of employees as independent contractors. The agreement allows the federal government to share information with the state agency and coordinate enforcement efforts. In fiscal year 2011, the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division collected over $5 million in back wages for minimum wage and overtime violations that were a result of the employees being misclassified as independent contractors or otherwise not treated as employees, an increase of almost 400% from fiscal year 2008. "Initiatives like this are critical in leveling the playing field for businesses that play by the rules," LWC Executive Director Curt Eysink says in a news release. "They're also vital for ensuring that eligible, hardworking men and women get the coverage and benefits they earn if they are injured on the job or lose their jobs through no fault of their own." The partnership is the 13th of its kind for the Department of Labor. To read a 2009 Business Report story about employee misclassification, click here.
Amedisys becomes a provider for BCBS of Ga.
Baton Rouge-based Amedisys Inc. is the newest in-network home health and hospice care provider for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia members, the company announced today. The addition means Amedisys will be able to provide services to roughly 3.2 million Georgians who are members of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia plans. Amedisys will be an in-network provider for 35 managed care plans and seven hospice care plans across The Peach State. "Georgia is one of Amedisys' flagship markets with strong chronic care programs, a first-class care transitions team and strong relationships with the leading health systems, which will provide Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia members with increased access to high-quality home health and hospice care," says Bob Yungk, Amedisys chief strategy officer, in a prepared statement.
SeNSE soliciting entries for film industry pitch night
The forum for entrepreneurs in the Greater Baton Rouge area has begun taking entries for its special pitch night event aimed at the film industry, to be held Thursday, March 22, from 6-8 p.m. at the Manship Theatre. From the submissions, SeNSE will choose three area entrepreneurs to give a 10-minute pitch for their film-related business in front of a live audience and panel of film industry experts and investors. Any venture related to the film industry—including casting, rentals, production, postproduction—will be considered for the competition. For more information and to submit your business plan, visit the SeNSE website here.
Two from N.O. plead guilty in Katrina grant program probe
Two women from New Orleans who worked as analysts on Louisiana's home elevation grant program pleaded guilty today to plotting to sell the names of residents eligible for Hurricane Katrina grants. Wanda Acker Williams, 32, and Brianna LaFrance, 30, both face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and $250,000 fines following their guilty pleas to conspiracy charges. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo is scheduled to sentence them on May 24. A court filing says Williams was paid to supply the names of people eligible for grants from the state's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to Rickey Davis, who helped secure contracts with homeowners for general contractors and subcontractors. Homeowners living in flood-prone areas can receive grants of up to $100,000 to elevate their homes. Contractors and homeowners can be advanced up to 80% of a grant's total value before any elevation work is performed. Williams was hired by Baton Rouge-based The Shaw Group Inc., a state contractor, to work on the program. A company spokeswoman has said Williams was suspended without pay after she was charged in the case in January. LaFrance worked for a Shaw subcontractor before she left to work for Davis.
La. vehicle theft rate drops 37% over 5 years
Motor vehicle theft rates in Louisiana declined 36.7% from 2006 through 2010, according to FBI data, including a 15.6% drop from 2009 to 2010. Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon says the vehicle theft rate is one of the factors insurers use when setting auto insurance premiums. Donelon attributes the decline to a number of factors, including proactive law enforcement strategies, expanded use of technology such as license plate recognition systems and bait cars, increased public awareness and education about vehicle theft prevention and the consequences of vehicle theft, as well as multi-agency cooperation. A total of 9,893 vehicles were stolen in Louisiana in 2010, according to the FBI.
Sports roundup: Saints will play in preseason Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 5 … Stern's timetable on Hornets ownership transfer might be ambitious … Lin files to trademark 'Linsanity'
High five: The New Orleans Saints will play in an extra preseason game this year—the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 5—a league source confirmed to The Times-Picayune. As first reported by FOXSports.com, the Saints volunteered to play in this year's annual preseason opener because it will coincide with offensive tackle Willie Roaf's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame that weekend. The Saints' opponent is not yet known. Being in the game means the Saints will play five preseason games this year, instead of the usual four. The rest of their preseason schedule will be announced at a later date. The Saints last played in the Hall of Fame Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to kick off the 2007 exhibition season.
Above the rim: In a recent interview on NBA-TV, NBA Commissioner David Stern indicated a possible March 1 date to reach a deal with a new owner for the New Orleans Hornets, but sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations tell The Times-Picayune that timetable might be a bit ambitious. Stern confirmed to the league's network what has been reported regarding the team's lease-extension negotiations with the state of Louisiana: that the new owner would be agreeing to a deal with no escape clauses, which keeps the Hornets in New Orleans for the duration of the new agreement. Stern did say the list of potential owners or groups has been whittled to a front-runner with another in reserve. Read the full story here.
A slam dunk: Basketball and media phenom Jeremy Lin filed last week to trademark the term "Linsanity," CNNMoney.com reports. The move, through the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, would give the overnight NBA sensation exclusive rights to put the signature term on a variety of products, including clothing, mugs and even action figures. The New York Knicks basketball star burst into public consciousness three weeks ago, an undrafted Asian-American Harvard graduate who went from benchwarmer to star pointguard and led the Knicks on a seven-game winning streak. While the streak has come to an end, his stardom has not, making the term "Linsanity" one of the hottest in New York tabloids, sports networks and Twitter posts. But Lin isn't the only one who's filed for a trademark on the term. Check out the full story here.
