General Council briefed on TERO implementation

Tribal Employment Rights Office Director Greg Azure briefed the general membership on the early stages of implementing the Tribe's Employment Rights Ordinance at the Feb. 2 General Council meeting held in the Tribal Community Center.

"We're making progress on getting the program established and mainly putting together the pieces that will be the infrastructure for TERO to move forward," Azure said at the beginning of his presentation.

The Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance was enacted by Tribal Council on Nov. 6 and became effective Nov. 27. Azure was hired away from state government to oversee the ordinance's implementation in September.

The Grand Ronde Tribe joined more than 300 other Native Tribes and Alaskan Native villages that have TERO-like ordinances and became the second Oregon Tribe after the Umatilla to enact that type of legislation. Nationally, the first TERO law was passed in 1977, he added.

"TERO is to ensure that Indian people can participate in economic opportunities on and near the Grand Ronde Reservation," he said.

The TERO office was created to enforce the laws and rules governing employment and contracting preference for Native Americans, Azure said.

TERO's responsibilities are varied, Azure said, and include ensuring Tribal and Indian preference regarding employment and contracting in the Tribal government, at Spirit Mountain Casino and for all employers who are located or operating on the Grand Ronde Reservation.

TERO also affects businesses that contract or sub-contract to work on the Reservation and federally funded road construction projects that the Oregon Department of Transportation performs within a 60-mile radius of Grand Ronde. When the Tribe asserts Indian preference, contractors must hire from the TERO Skills Bank if manpower is required beyond a core crew, he said.

Under TERO, Indian-owned businesses - those that are at least 51 percent owned by Native Americans -- receive a 5 percent advantage over a low bid on projects, Azure said.

In addition, the new TERO office will be compiling quarterly data reports from employers in hiring Tribal members and providing monthly updates to Tribal Council regarding Tribal employment. It also will examine career advancement opportunities for Tribal member employees, including training, career development plans and promotion opportunities. TERO also will look into establishing a network of mentors for Tribal employees seeking career growth, he said.

For Tribal members seeking a job, TERO will assist with pre-employment support, such as tracking job applicants, providing information on job opportunities, assisting with employment applications and providing pre-interview help, and identifying training needs for those who fail to get hired.

The TERO office already includes Career Development Program Manager David DeHart and Workforce Development Specialist Misty Carl, who previously worked in the Tribal Career Development Department at Spirit Mountain Casino.

Azure said that the TERO director can of his or her own initiative or based on a complaint of a violation of the ordinance take steps to rectify a violation, preferably with an informal settlement, but also with a written notice or issuance of a corrective order if necessary.

"There's some teeth to the TERO code," Azure said.

TERO will be overseen by a soon-to-be appointed five-member commission with members serving three-year terms.

The Tribe already has signed a memorandum of understanding with the state Department of Transportation that gives the Tribe the ability to assert Indian preference on federally funded highway projects within a 60-mile radius of the Reservation.

"TERO is designing the organization, building infrastructure and developing policies," Azure said. "We're building a network. TERO is here. We're not just working in a silo. We're working across all Tribal departments and with the community."

In response to a question, Azure agreed that getting Tribal members employed is important to the overall Tribe.

"Jobs mean a lot," Azure said. "It does change a community."

In other action, Social Services Committee Chair Jenny Sanchez said her committee will be placing a customer satisfaction survey to in an upcoming Smoke Signals. Gas vouchers will be raffled off to those who fill out the survey.

Rayauna Meneley won the $100 door prize and Terry Gray, Samantha Dala and Dorothy Leno won the $50 door prizes. Necklaces and earrings donated by Tribal Council member Jon A. George also were raffled off.

The next General Council meeting will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, March 2, in the Tribal Community Center.

Tribal Council also honored former Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department Region Manager Chris Wheaton with a certificate of appreciation and a sacred paddle used by the Canoe Family during last year's Canoe Journey.

Jan Looking Wolf Reibach, Jon A. George, Jade Unger, Eric Bernando and Savannah Ingram provided the drumming and singing during the cultural presentation to open the meeting.