CTUIR Tribal Employment Rights Office Submission
TERO workers Wilbur Oatman and Suzane Bonifer have been working on TERO Constructions Projects for the last several months. Both have been enjoying good working hours and are making great wages.
Oatman, a Umatilla Tribal Member, has been working for Virgil Bates Flagging Company, an Indian Owned Subcontractor to Nelson Construction (Walla Walla, WA) who is the Prime Contractor for the Oregon Department of Transportation’s “Umatilla/Morrow Counties ADA Curbs project” which extends from Milton Freewater to Heppner, Oregon. This $10 million project has provided multiple employment opportunities for over a dozen tribal members and has also provided for Indian Subcontract Opportunities for tribal member owned construction contractors.
Bonifer, a CTUIR member, has been working for Lydig Construction, (Spokane, WA) who is the Prime Contractor for expanding the Wildhorse Casino main building since June of this year. She has been a laborer along with other CTUIR members in this $1 million dollar expansion project, in what has been labeled as “the Back of the House” project. Bonifer has been working in the construction industry for more than 30 years and has helped construct many of the projects here and off of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, including projects ranging from heavy highway and bridge construction to Umatilla Tribal Enterprises buildings and infrastructure. It is truly good to see some of our most experienced members working on our own buildings and enjoy success as professional construction workers.
