“While our organization represents 16 unionized construction locals, we have always felt it is our higher responsibility to look out for, protect, and represent in any way possible all workers involved in construction in Southeast Louisiana.”Īs the contractor and the city rushed to shore up the project, Union Ironworkers rushed in to help. “Our collective hearts go out to the workers and their families impacted by this horrible tragedy,” said O’Brien. If the union’s intel is correct, it would appear that Citadel hasn’t learned from their fine and continued to use non-licensed workers.

In August, the contractor pleaded no contest and agreed to pay a fine for using unlicensed contractors on their jobs. This isn’t Citadel’s first brush with the law. Some of the issues the unions were concerned about included the use of non-licensed workers, hiring undocumented workers, and misclassifying employees on the project as independent contractors. “Whenever they show up, we aren’t far behind.” “Citadel is not a union contractor,” said O’Brien.

According to Hard Rock, Citadel Builders LLC was contracted by Kailas Companies, owner of the project, to build the Hard Rock Hotel New Orleans.Īndy O’Brien, the Secretary Treasurer of the Southeast Louisiana Building and Construction Trades Council, told UCOMM News, the IBEW and the Plumbers union had been holding informational pickets outside of the hotel for weeks to inform residents of the danger of the project. It took hours to locate and free the other workers.Īs dust and debris covered multiple city blocks on the edge of the famed French Quarter, questions arose about how a building that was under construction could just collapse. Thirty would end up going to the hospital.

Three workers were killed and nearly 100 workers were trapped or injured in the structure. People on the street fled for their lives as part of the hotel collapsed onto the street. 12 collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel under construction in New Orleans, in yet another example of the harm “right-to-work” laws cause by driving down wages and encouraging the use of non-union contractors with poorly trained workers. The IBEW and the Plumbers unions had been holding informational pickets outside of the hotel for weeks to inform residents of the danger of the project.Ī non-union contractor in “right-to-work” Louisiana was responsible for the Oct. Hotel was being built by unlicensed, non-union workers NON-UNION CONTRACTOR Citadel Builders LLC was building the Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans, La., that collapsed Oct.

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