Ho-Chunk Legislature proposes to partner with Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

By Ken Luchterhand



Recently the Ho-Chunk Legislature voted to enter into an agreement with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Wisconsin to establish the Workforce Development Program.
The resolution, passed by the Ho-Chunk Legislature on August 9, proposes to pursue an agreement with the organization.
But the issue is not without its controversy.
At the September Area 1 Meeting in Black River Falls, the tribal members made a resolution to take the nearly $2 million that was approved by the Legislature and instead give that money to the Labor Department. This move was made in opposition to the decision made by Legislature to enter in an agreement with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Labor Department Director Tracy Thundercloud stated on Tuesday, October 11, that the Labor Department has not been part of the decision to enter into an agreement with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“I have not read or seen the agreement that was adopted by the Ho-Chunk Nation Legislature. There has been no discussions with the Department of Labor with respect to what the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will be involved with the Ho-Chunk Nation, except listening to what they had to offer when they were brought to the Ho-Chunk Nation Legislature for their presentation,” Thundercloud said.
On October 20, 2015, the Legislature and the Office of the President combined efforts to repeal the Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance (TERO). The TERO program was to create employment and opportunities for tribal workers and businesses.
The resolution to repeal TERO stated that a TERO workgroup will have an updated version of TERO ready for a 45-day comment period within six months of the resolution. So far, no replacement version has been made available.
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Wisconsin proposes to provide career and workforce training programs to prepare tribal members for higher-paying jobs.
“It’s a series of training sessions for jobs,” said Jorge Franco, chairman, president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Milwaukee. “We will offer options for different career paths.”
They’ve been working at the agreement with the Ho-Chunk Nation for approximately 10 months, Franco said.
There will be multiple pathways, such as manufacturing, office, building construction, and roadway construction, he said.
According to Franco, they will interview tribal members and align their training with their interests.
Projections show that 760,200 workers will be needed in the next eight years to fill vacancies due to workers retiring and for other reasons, he said. The training is not only for learning new skills for employment, but also life skills needed for employment, Franco said.
Franco said the organization plans to visit local employers in each district to evaluate their needs for employees at the present and the future, but he did not mention whether the organization will actually find jobs for tribal members.
Physical locations for the programs do not exist at this time, but Franco said there will be an office in each of the major Ho-Chunk communities - at least one in each of the districts. To accommodate tribal members in their residential areas, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Wisconsin plans to open 10 offices across the state and including Minneapolis and Chicago.
Franco said he plans to give presentations to Ho-Chunk members at Area meetings beginning in October.
For more information on the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Wisconsin, visit the web site at www.HCCW.org.


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