The Business Council continues to play a significant role in working to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 1409; S. 560), more commonly referred to as “card check”. If implemented as currently filed, the legislation would radically alter the balance of power between labor and management. As a part of a coalition led by the Louisiana Restaurant Association as well as the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the Business Council continues a vigilant dialogue with Senators Landrieu and Vitter, and Congressmen Cao and Scalise, urging them to oppose the legislation. These actions also include a letter from the Business Council Chairman, Gregory Rusovich, as well as personal visits to the offices of Landrieu, Vitter and Cao by Bob Brown, Leslie Jacobs, Rusovich and D.C. Business Council representative Chris Johnsen of the Jones Walker law firm.  Many other members of the Business council are also weighing in on the issue. This tragically flawed bill would take away a worker’s right to cast a secret ballot and would force government-imposed arbitration on businesses of all sizes.  Please go to labor@joneswalker.com for the latest updates.

View a copy of the letter that was sent to Mary Landrieu’s Senate office (click here for PDF file).

The Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region will join emergency preparedness leaders for a public briefing on preparations for the upcoming hurricane season. Through the Joint Communication Advisory Council (JCAC), all of the leading agencies will offer a coordinated communications approach to information on public safety.

The JCAC includes the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security and the East and West Bank Levee boards as well as representatives from Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard Parishes. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. It will be held in the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (500 Canal Street) in the Waterbury Ballroom.

At the briefing, JCAC leaders will focus on emergency preparedness, progress on the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System and overall emergency planning status by parish.

The event is free and open to the public.

→ The following Board members have been appointed to the Executive Committee of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry: James “Jay” Lapeyre, Robert Stuart and Steve Stumpf.

→ The Spring 2009 edition of 10-12: Business News from Louisiana’s Creative Corridor recognized the following board members as among “the 25 Most Powerful People on the Corridor”: Ron Forman; Michael Hecht; Bill Hines and David Voelker.

→ Business Council vice chairman, Arnold Baker, was featured in the “Faces to Know” section in the same edition. Baker’s company, Baker Ready Mix & Building Materials also recently won the National Black Chamber of Commerce “Business of the Year” award.

→ Board member, José Suquet, led the United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area in raising $22.6 million for support of health and human service programs. As campaign chair, Suquet enabled the campaign to surpass its announced goal by more than $1 million.

→ Frank Stewart was recently re-elected as Chairman of the Board of Stewart Enterprises. Ashton Ryan, Jr. was elected to the Board of Directors.

→ Phyllis M. Taylor has been elected to a two-year term as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Greater New Orleans Foundation. A graduate of the Tulane University School of Law, she is also Chairman and President of the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation.

→ Gary Solomon served as a judge at the Tulane University Ninth Annual Entrepreneurs Association Business Plan Competition. The competition, designed to showcase student-led ventures to investors, took place at Goldring/Woldenberg Hall on Tulane’s uptown campus. The top two winners each received $20,000 in startup capital.

Representative Jim Tucker, speaker of the House of Representatives, has filed legislation that would create a new state board to oversee the New Orleans teaching hospital, which currently operates under the authority of the LSU Board of Supervisors. The bill would create a board of seven members within the Department of Health and Hospitals. The governor would appoint three of the members and the House and Senate would appoint two each. The new entity would then contract with LSU, Tulane and others to provide medical services.