Politics & Government
Thousands of Workers Needed for Post-Sandy Clean-Up Jobs
The state Labor Department has received $27 million is federal money to put unemployed New Yorkers to work cleaning up after the storm.
As many as 5,000 unemployed people could be put to work by the state soon, helping to clean-up and rebuild the city after Hurricane Sandy’s destruction, according to the New York Post.
“The goal is to bring [people] into the program and find them full-time jobs at the end of the recovery effort,” Labor Commissioner Peter Rivera said on Sunday in Red Hook, according to the paper.
Workers are needed to clean debris and canvass neighborhoods that were hit hard by the storm, in order to find out residents needs Rivera added. Crews may also help to clean out private homes and apartments, as well as public buildings.
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The $27 million program comes from a federal grant, and will create about 5,000 jobs for six months that pay about $15 per hour. According to the Post, pay will be capped at $12,000 per employee.
Prospective workers can apply for Sandy clean-up jobs through the Labor Department web site.
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The Post talked to unemployed Brooklynites after the press conference, many of who were happy for the opportunity to go back to work.
“I’ll take anything that’s offered to me!” Carlos Perez, 42, of Park Slope, who immediately signed up to apply for work, according to the paper.
“I’ll do any kind of work. I just want to help,” Shaon Bruce, 20, a Red Hook resident who was laid off, told the Post.
