Dear Members
I can bring to light several issues facing Native Anishinabe Tribal Members in regard to this Enbridge pipeline project.
This morning as i asked a union official from one of four Unions participating in the Pipeline Contractors Labor Agreement between Enbridge / Owner ,he expressed that approximately 1/4 of the workforce has been filled in light of the delayed start.
This PLCA organization has Unions all Represented as AFL-CIO organized participating unions that comprise a AFL-CIO sanctioned agreement between the Contractors ie,, Enbridge ,U.S Pipeline , Precision Pipeline , Michaels Pipleline , and the Four Unions Represented ie,, United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters, International Brotherhood of Operating Engineers,, Teamsters ,,,, Laborers International Union .
This past april 09, I formed The Native American Indian Labor Union # 12 to bring our Native Anishinabe young Men and Women recognition to be afforded the opportunity to provide organizations as this PLCA organization to create a long term effort to change the Minnesota Department of Labors, detailed statistics of exactly how poor these Unions Of ours are doing to present a true respect of AFFIRMATIVE ACTION LAWS regarding any public project and one im sure that Hillary R. Clinton Secretary of The State of The United States of America has signed from a permit standpoint . Also as a Signature member including The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.
Early this year i had made application to The Minnesota AFL-CIO of St Paul hand delivered to Steve Hunter to ask to be recognized and processed in as a Union of Native Americans that have formed as any Union has,and to this date i have only recieved one phone call from a Mr. Anderson saying this was a good idea and would get back to me and to date no one will respond . These issues are at the heart and spirit of a people looking to the future through the eyes of today who want and have responded in applications submitted to pipeline agents from this Organization.
The Leech Lake Band TERO department has a agreement with Enbridge to provide a QUALIFIED labor pool to those unions participating but are not signatory to this Pipeline Labor Contract Association . This affects from a figure i heard of 40 miles of pipe work within the confines of the original Leech Lake Band Borders. The Manner in which these workers are afforded full Union Membership i hope are true representations of a AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Policy that is NOT akin to the ones being used in todays UNIONIZED workforce.
The Native American Indian Labor Union # 12 represents those members that have banded together beyond the confines of any Reservation to end the dispirit understanding of Labor Relations with the Minnesota Native American workforce in light of the BILLIONS and BILLIONS of DOLLARS that have Developed the very Infrastructure serving Native Peoples Across this State .
Gregory W. Paquin
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Congressman Collin Peterson TOWN HALL Meeting,8/17/09
I attended this town hall meeting held here in Bemidji, Minnesota at the Hampton Inn 1PM.
After hearing a cacophony of medical service panelists afforded the opportunity to explain their perspective on public health issues that comprise the current of public facts and figures regarding spiraling health care costs and figures that one panelist mentioned a 28% uninsured recipient base that the area hospitals and clinics cannot be reimbursed or bear the burden of for such a large example of the need for a comprehensive understanding and public choice decision.
I was thankful for this opportunity to voice a Native perspective to what i feel is not only a medical issue from the dollars and cents viewpoint but from a community health perspective for Native Peoples represented by the IHS and also a part of that 28% that reflect Native Peoples need to go Off Reservation for Medical care.
I also informed Mr. Peterson of the Unemployment and Poverty that still exists On and Off The Reservations For Native Peoples while a 19 BILLION DOLLAR Gambling Industry exists and funds many of the political campaign coffers of The Minnesota Legislative Members and had even a representative of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association as a campaign manager for a sitting senate Member.
All of these topics reflect a truth telling of what we as Native Anishinabe of Minnesota need to inform the Leaders of all our communities what constitutes health issues which is AFFirmative Action from the Top Down.
After hearing a cacophony of medical service panelists afforded the opportunity to explain their perspective on public health issues that comprise the current of public facts and figures regarding spiraling health care costs and figures that one panelist mentioned a 28% uninsured recipient base that the area hospitals and clinics cannot be reimbursed or bear the burden of for such a large example of the need for a comprehensive understanding and public choice decision.
I was thankful for this opportunity to voice a Native perspective to what i feel is not only a medical issue from the dollars and cents viewpoint but from a community health perspective for Native Peoples represented by the IHS and also a part of that 28% that reflect Native Peoples need to go Off Reservation for Medical care.
I also informed Mr. Peterson of the Unemployment and Poverty that still exists On and Off The Reservations For Native Peoples while a 19 BILLION DOLLAR Gambling Industry exists and funds many of the political campaign coffers of The Minnesota Legislative Members and had even a representative of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association as a campaign manager for a sitting senate Member.
All of these topics reflect a truth telling of what we as Native Anishinabe of Minnesota need to inform the Leaders of all our communities what constitutes health issues which is AFFirmative Action from the Top Down.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Article ; Brainerd Dispatch
A member of Minneapolis Pipefitters Local 539 and the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe, Paquin said his goal is to provide jobs for all of the citizens of northern Minnesota. He said he would like to see federally owned manufacturing plant developed in the area to supply needed materials to the federal government. He said it would be a partnership between Indian tribes, the federal government and the community at large.
Paquin, who describes himself as a "working man," wants to create jobs and see that affirmative action issues are being followed regarding the hiring, employment, training and promotion of native Americans. He said there should be Indian representation in the Legislature. Indians, he said, should see more benefits in terms of political clout since they oversee a $19 billion industry with their casinos.
"It would be beneficial to create a working partnership with the state of Minnesota to end racism and poverty and unemployment.
"Every American Indian that doesn't have a job, he becomes a liability because now we have to pay for the health and welfare of that person," Paquin said. "It's not just about jobs, it's about learning how to bridge that cultural gap."
Paquin said the gambling compacts between the state of Minnesota and Indian tribes should be re-examined. He said he doesn't want to see the end of Indian sovereignty but wants Indians and the government to develop a better working relationship.
He said Olson does not understand the magnitude of the problem for American Indians.
Paquin is seeking the DFL endorsement but he said that he would consider running in a primary if he does not win the endorsement.
The Bemidji man has not served in elective office before.
Senate District 12 includes portions of Cass, Itasca, Beltrami, Hubbard and the northern half of Crow Wing County.
MIKE O'ROURKE may be reached at mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5860.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Letter to the Editor
Published August 05 2009
http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/event/article/id/25959/
Racism starts with issue of poverty at the center
I wish to respond to the article, “ACLU-MN Greater Minnesota Racial Justice Project: Community dialogue focuses on solutions, “Bemidji Pioneer (July 24).
I wish to respond to the article, “ACLU-MN Greater Minnesota Racial Justice Project: Community dialogue focuses on solutions, “Bemidji Pioneer (July 24).
Racial justice goes well beyond the issue of police/criminal justice system and community/race relations and I don’t think the article begins to cite “solutions” to our problems as native Americans.
Overwhelming poverty is at the center of each and every issue plaguing Indian reservations and native American communities which have unemployment rates rapidly exceeding 50 percent.
There is no doubt problems of racism do arise between the police and native Americans because we have serious problems of racism in our society. However, in order to get to the root cause of these racial problems we need to tackle the employment question as the primary issue and not allow this police/community issue to be used as a cover for not coming to grips with the fact that the poverty associated with this horrendous unemployment is responsible for bringing native Americans into contact with the police departments and the criminal justice system in the first place.
People tried to tell Mr. Ken Bergeron, the acting director of the U.S. Department of Justice who maintains that President Barack Obama is his boss, that poverty was the main issue needing to be addressed; yet, Mr. Bergeron, like politicians, refused to listen or respond — instead, he kept focusing and steering the discussion with a focus on racism in police/community relations which causes me to ask this very fundamental question:
Why hasn’t Mr. Bergeron directed federal law enforcement officials to prosecute those in law enforcement and the criminal justice system for violating the civil rights of native Americans?
Mr. Bergeron could begin delving into the lack of accountability in affirmative action starting with the Bemidji Regional Event Center.
How can there possibly be this huge discrepancy in unemployment between the rest of the population and the native American population if affirmative action programs are being enforced?
When it comes to native Americans, affirmative action guidelines are not being enforced because we have no representation in the Minnesota state Legislature or among the Minnesota congressional delegation; this is racism.
Poverty is easy to solve: Put people to work at decent jobs paying real living wages.
Pay people poverty wages like in casinos and keep people unemployed you get poverty and the crime that goes with it and problems with the police.
Gregory W. Paquin
Bemidji
Monday, August 3, 2009
Meeting With U.S.Pipeline,INC.
On Saturday August 1-2009,A board member and myself met with the project manager of U.S. Pipeline who encouraged our efforts to provide Union opportunities to Native Anishinabe Tradesmen and Women from the three surrounding reservation Communities and provided me with 15 application forms and strict instruction on rules for worker qualification in regard to attendance and drug testing which we all were in agreement upon. Mr. Vickers also entailed the benefits like pay and further Union Opportunities The Native American Indian Labor Union can facilitate.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Grand Forks Herald OP-Ed Piece
Regarding a letter by Molly Miron of the Bemidji Pioneer july 24 -2009, describing the ACLU- Greater Minnesota Justice Project forum which i wrote a response to the editor that did not apparently go along with the "CONSORTIA" terminology of Ken Bergeron,US Department of Justice,(Community Relations)or the comprehensive need to analyze and point the finger where it needs pointing regarding what constitutes the understanding of what is Institutional Racial Practices that need identification and change.
I will post this letter to the forum so we can get to more cogent development, to change the issues that reflect non-partisan politics.
Grand Forks Herald
Published August 02 2009
VIEWPOINT: High jobless rate afflicts reservations
A recent story claimed Minnesota is ranked high in terms of children’s well-being (“North Dakota, Minnesota rank in Top 10 in children’s well-being,” Page B1, Tuesday).
By: Gregory Paquin, Bemidji
BEMIDJI — A recent story claimed Minnesota is ranked high in terms of children’s well-being (“North Dakota, Minnesota rank in Top 10 in children’s well-being,” Page B1, Tuesday).
But the story certainly isn’t talking about American Indian children. Poverty, overwhelming poverty, is robbing Indian children of their childhood and a decent future.
At the center of each and every issue plaguing Indian reservations and American Indian communities are unemployment rates rapidly exceeding 50 percent.
In order to get to the root of these problems, we need to tackle this employment question.
How can there possibly be such a huge discrepancy in unemployment between the rest of the population and American Indians if affirmative action programs are being enforced? We must conclude that when it comes to American Indians, affirmative action guidelines are not being enforced. This is the real injustice we must come to grips with if we want to get a handle on the other problems.
We need elected officials who will see to it that affirmative action laws are enforced, and we need to provide young people with lifelong skills for jobs that pay real living wages
In my opinion, the reason Indians are suffering unemployment rates far beyond the general population in Minnesota are that Indians do not have elected representatives advocating for them.
Not one American Indian sits among the more than 200 Minnesota state legislators, nor are there any among Minnesota’s congressional delegation.
Institutionalized racism runs so deep through the fabric of our society that no one questions these situations. But when there is a glaring discrepancy of 50 percent American Indian unemployment while the rest of the population is suffering a 10 percent unemployment rate, there is a problem of racial injustice at work here, and this problem affects every Indian family—- with children suffering the worst.
I have done my own surveys among American Indians as to the problems and what we need to do. Here are a few of my findings:
n Poverty and unemployment: People want decent, real living-wage jobs.
n Hunger and nutrition; Poor people can’t afford to eat, let alone to eat properly.
n Housing: The current affordable housing stock is overcrowded and of poor quality.
n Health care: There is a lack of access to health care in an underfunded Indian Health Service.
n Education: Indian communities lack quality public schools.
How can children have decent lives when they are living in poverty?
Because of poverty and unemployment, racial conflicts and racial injustices involving law enforcement and the criminal justice system become big problems as well. Is it a coincidence that the American Indian incarceration rate in prison populations often is the same as our unemployment rate — 50 percent?
I don’t think so. If we can give people decent living-wage jobs through strict enforcement of affirmative action in hiring, we will be well on our way to solving our police and community relations problems.
There is something terribly wrong when public officials will come to American Indians for our votes and the money generated through gambling revenues but then ignore the horrendous poverty and unemployment in our community.
Paquin is a DFL candidate for Minnesota Senate from District 4.
Tags: op-ed columns, american indians, opinion, viewpoint, unemployment, reservations, poverty
Gregory W. Paquin
Candidate for Minnesota Senate
District: 4
1511 Roosevelt Road SE.
Bemidji, Minnesota , 56601
218-209-3157 h
651-503-9493 c
check out my blog:http://nativeamericanindianlaborunion12.blogspot.com/
I will post this letter to the forum so we can get to more cogent development, to change the issues that reflect non-partisan politics.
Grand Forks Herald
Published August 02 2009
VIEWPOINT: High jobless rate afflicts reservations
A recent story claimed Minnesota is ranked high in terms of children’s well-being (“North Dakota, Minnesota rank in Top 10 in children’s well-being,” Page B1, Tuesday).
By: Gregory Paquin, Bemidji
BEMIDJI — A recent story claimed Minnesota is ranked high in terms of children’s well-being (“North Dakota, Minnesota rank in Top 10 in children’s well-being,” Page B1, Tuesday).
But the story certainly isn’t talking about American Indian children. Poverty, overwhelming poverty, is robbing Indian children of their childhood and a decent future.
At the center of each and every issue plaguing Indian reservations and American Indian communities are unemployment rates rapidly exceeding 50 percent.
In order to get to the root of these problems, we need to tackle this employment question.
How can there possibly be such a huge discrepancy in unemployment between the rest of the population and American Indians if affirmative action programs are being enforced? We must conclude that when it comes to American Indians, affirmative action guidelines are not being enforced. This is the real injustice we must come to grips with if we want to get a handle on the other problems.
We need elected officials who will see to it that affirmative action laws are enforced, and we need to provide young people with lifelong skills for jobs that pay real living wages
In my opinion, the reason Indians are suffering unemployment rates far beyond the general population in Minnesota are that Indians do not have elected representatives advocating for them.
Not one American Indian sits among the more than 200 Minnesota state legislators, nor are there any among Minnesota’s congressional delegation.
Institutionalized racism runs so deep through the fabric of our society that no one questions these situations. But when there is a glaring discrepancy of 50 percent American Indian unemployment while the rest of the population is suffering a 10 percent unemployment rate, there is a problem of racial injustice at work here, and this problem affects every Indian family—- with children suffering the worst.
I have done my own surveys among American Indians as to the problems and what we need to do. Here are a few of my findings:
n Poverty and unemployment: People want decent, real living-wage jobs.
n Hunger and nutrition; Poor people can’t afford to eat, let alone to eat properly.
n Housing: The current affordable housing stock is overcrowded and of poor quality.
n Health care: There is a lack of access to health care in an underfunded Indian Health Service.
n Education: Indian communities lack quality public schools.
How can children have decent lives when they are living in poverty?
Because of poverty and unemployment, racial conflicts and racial injustices involving law enforcement and the criminal justice system become big problems as well. Is it a coincidence that the American Indian incarceration rate in prison populations often is the same as our unemployment rate — 50 percent?
I don’t think so. If we can give people decent living-wage jobs through strict enforcement of affirmative action in hiring, we will be well on our way to solving our police and community relations problems.
There is something terribly wrong when public officials will come to American Indians for our votes and the money generated through gambling revenues but then ignore the horrendous poverty and unemployment in our community.
Paquin is a DFL candidate for Minnesota Senate from District 4.
Tags: op-ed columns, american indians, opinion, viewpoint, unemployment, reservations, poverty
Gregory W. Paquin
Candidate for Minnesota Senate
District: 4
1511 Roosevelt Road SE.
Bemidji, Minnesota , 56601
218-209-3157 h
651-503-9493 c
check out my blog:http://nativeamericanindianlaborunion12.blogspot.com/
General Membership meeting, August 1, 2009
We had a nice little picnic here before this historic event for Native Anishinabe Labor issues held here in bemidji Minnesota. This first General Membership was held with three board members in attendance and members. A new applicant also attended to join this organization created to uphold AFFirmative Action policies and provide other Building Trades Union organizations and the labor community at large, the tool, to assist a fair and equal representation to participate in the economic recovery of this State of Minnesota.
Many topics were discussed and agreed upon that need to be addressed regarding AFFirmative Action from The Top Down especially when the organizations that were initially contacted seeking assistance in recognition and utilization of this newly formed Labor Union met with not so much as a piece of paper responding to application to become a participating member of the AFL-CIO.
One good note to report is we have committed ourselves to strive forward to break down these barriers which also include our own home Reservation governmental practices and Minnesota Legislative Institutional Racial Policies affecting our right to provide for a better tomorrow for our youth and elders.
Gregory W. Paquin
(Business Manager) N.A.I.L.U. #12
Many topics were discussed and agreed upon that need to be addressed regarding AFFirmative Action from The Top Down especially when the organizations that were initially contacted seeking assistance in recognition and utilization of this newly formed Labor Union met with not so much as a piece of paper responding to application to become a participating member of the AFL-CIO.
One good note to report is we have committed ourselves to strive forward to break down these barriers which also include our own home Reservation governmental practices and Minnesota Legislative Institutional Racial Policies affecting our right to provide for a better tomorrow for our youth and elders.
Gregory W. Paquin
(Business Manager) N.A.I.L.U. #12
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