Prior Lake, Minnesota - Unemployment is high in Indian Country, an average of 43% according to the United States Census, versus the national average of 6% and the Minnesota average of 4%. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has a Native American preference program which has been successful in helping build an Indian workforce. All construction contractors selected by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community agree to hire a certain percentage of Native American employees.

As a result of the SMSC’s requirements, PCL Construction, which has worked with the SMSC since 1995, has made a commitment to hire, train, and retain Native American workers. On a current remodel project at Mystic Lake Casino, the PCL crew is running at 47.81 % Native American hours with a job total (including all subcontractors) of 33.53 % Native American hours. On the current Mystic Lake warehouse project, the PCL crew is running at 34.96 % Native American hours with a job total (with all subcontractors) of 26.75 % Native American hours.

PCL has built all three hotel towers, the new Little Six Casino, The Buffet, The Meadows at Mystic Lake Clubhouse, two parking garages, a skyway bridge, and the new Showroom and Bingo Hall, which opened in the fall of 2007.

“We work together with the SMSC to keep good working relations, resolve disputes, and ensure safety for all of our workers. During all of this construction, we have always tried to have as much Native American labor as possible on our jobsites. We do have a lot of success stories out here. We have Native American carpenters, laborers, heavy equipment operators, and cement finishers on our PCL crews,” said PCL Job Superintendent Mike Durene who has worked with the SMSC since 1995.

“The SMSC is cognizant of the severe economic conditions and widespread unemployment that exists among our sovereign people, and therefore, place a moral obligation on contractors for public service projects or contracts to assist in relieving such economically depressed conditions,” said SMSC Chairman Stanley R. Crooks.

Once a primary or general contractor is chosen by the SMSC and project details are established, a required percentage of Native American employees is designated.

“It is quite powerful to see how many Native Americans have been successfully recruited and trained to become long term employees of contractors,” said Assistant Tribal Administrator Janice Bad Moccasin, who has been involved in the recruitment and referral process for the SMSC since 1995.

“The percentage varies from 15-25% of all employees, depending on the type of project,” SMSC Director of Special Projects Lester Morris explained. Contractors are required to maintain that ratio throughout the project or face penalties. “Some projects, like the Water Reclamation Facility completed in August 2006, came in 10% over their required number of Native American employees. Rice Lake Construction of Deerwood, Minnesota, had a Native American preference percentage of 20% for the project, and they came in at 30% which is phenomenal,” Morris added.

“The contractors are very cooperative with our program. The main thing is that we want them to hire Native American employees. These contractors rely on people they’ve worked with before or we can help them find workers. So together we are able to find them the Native American workers they need,” Morris said.

“We’ve found that a lot of our contractors will take employees, evaluate their skills, and, based on their skill level and interest, will make them an apprentice so they can join the union. They’ll go on to become a journeyman. Often after a project is complete, they will keep the employee when they move on to the next job,” said Morris. “So we see the program working for everyone.”

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