A refrigerator hums in the owner’s office of Wainwright Construction & Maintenance in Hammond, La., about 50 miles north of New Orleans. Buns, sodas, and other food line another wall. A grill sizzles with burgers in the parking lot. And truck drivers who normally move materials spend time and precious fuel delivering company-made lunches to crews at job sites.
"I never imagined I’d be doing this," says company owner William Wainwright. "After Katrina, I knew things would be different, but I never thought I’d be housing my workers and cooking lunch. But if they can’t eat, they won’t be working for you."
This is William's way of trying to cope with the labor squeeze Gulf Coast contractors face. He has spent $60,000 on trailers to house some of his now-homeless employees and newly imported workers on his business grounds. He also arranged a deal with a Houston company to supply him with extra workers and trailers—if he could find a place to put them. That sent him to plead with the city council to temporarily waive a restriction on mobile homes.
The first work David Taylor’s All-In-One Remodeling in Biloxi, Miss., did after Katrina was for his employees. Two of his 11 full-timers lost their homes, and others’ homes were damaged. "For my personnel, I am going to do my very best," says David. He’s already fixed up his secretary’s house, and he likely will eat that cost. "You have to be loyal to your workers and make them happy," says Taylor. "I’ll do what I can to make sure my crew stays with me, and raising wages is certainly part of that."
Laborers play musical chairs
In South Florida after last year’s destructive hurricane season, competition for workers was fierce and frustrating. Contractors would drive up and offer roofers $5 more a square, and they would immediately abandon the job they were on.
Outside firms entering the rebuilding bonanza will try hard to lure skilled locals. In general, the locals will be more loyal to area contractors—if they take care of them. Trade contractors will face the greatest problem retaining laborers. With no established relationships or loyalties, out-of-area workers flowing into the stricken areas are prone to move constantly to the highest bidder and easiest bosses, forcing contractors to perform an unending juggling act.
Already burning out
Along the Gulf Coast, contractors themselves will be in short supply, and burnout will be an issue. "I’m already there," shrugs Wainwright. "I slept 10 hours in the 10 days following Katrina. But I gave my crew Labor Day off, and I won’t let them work all weekend."
Keeping workers will only get tougher, says Donald Sampson Sr. of Sampson Construction in Covington, La. Sampson owns a waterfront home in Bay St. Louis, Miss., where Katrina destroyed 22 of his 24 neighbors’ homes. He says labor shortages will last for at least two years.
In addition to problems with construction labor, building inspectors will be swamped with demands on their time, creating permitting delays. "Our St. Tammany Parish builders association has offered members to help officials get through the backlog of inspections," says Sampson. "It’s not the fox guarding the henhouse; it’s trying to use qualified manpower to help inspectors so the rebuilding can avoid bottlenecks."
Richard Wall is a freelance writer and an experienced hurricane evacuee living in St. Augustine, Florida.
| 
