It as amazing how all these politicians who preach democracy try to stifle any discussion they disagree with.
VenuWorks, the private firm hired to manage the Bemidji Regional Event Center has established a FaceBook page ostensibly looking for public comments but they are deleting most of my comments so I am publishing some of my comments here:
Why don't you publish a list of all jobs that will be available along with the pay scale and put applications on-line.
You could also publish the affirmative action policy on-line.
You do have an affirmative action program in place for your hiring; don't you?
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Alan L. Maki What happened to affirmative action on this project?
Need a Human Resources lady?
February 25 at 1:08pm · Report
If you want a job once the BREC opens and you want decent pay through a union contract; contact me.
Tue at 5:59pm ·
Belle, there is only one qualification to get such a job at the BREC... you must be white. If you meet this qualification you are hired.
All the people making big money off this project get a tour; did you get a good look at the $28.00 a day wheelbarrows tax-payers are paying for?
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Leo Obert Anderson III Did someone get paid to create a Facebook page for this thing?
February 10 at 6:51am · Comment ·LikeUnlike · View Feedback (6)Hide Feedback (6) · Report
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Bob LeBarron "got paid" to create it. You know, the Executive Director of the BREC? The guy who's "getting paid" to promote the BREC? The guy who likely understands that social networking is one way you market things in 2010?
February 11 at 1:40pm · Report
Excellent guess John. It is me, Bob LeBarron, who is administering the Facebook Fan page. Just one of many duties in managing/promoting the Bemidji Regional Event Center!
February 12 at 8:32am · Report
Mr. LeBarron, I look forward to negotiating a union contract with you for BREC employees. Do you intend to implement affirmative action policies in hiring workers to maintain and staff the BREC? Maybe you would like to share your company's affirmative action policies with the public. By the way, would you mind posting all the jobs you will be hiring for on this site and the pay scales?
Tue at 6:04pm ·
Alan, he has made clear on this page above (maybe you missed it) that he will be posting employment opportunity here on Facebook as soon as it becomes available. I would be willing to bet that you can find all the info you want about policy at the VenuWorks website, and if it's not on the site, there is a phone number that would give you all the information. In my opinion, there is no need to be confrontational on a friendly social networking site. He clearly made this page to be open and to answer questions about the event center but your questions are worded in a way that, again in my opinion, are based on false premise. The city built the event center, not VenuWorks. The city contracted out the work(to many subcontractors)to be done which means they don't hire the individual workers. They have no control or say in who those contractors employ, nor should they. Maybe your beef is with the subcontractors about affirmative action. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for affirmative action, but we should aim it at the right people. Also, I'm all for unions but declaring it to be so (which is what you kinda did) might not be helpful at this early stage. Just my opinion.
Wed at 10:13am ·
Jeff- I appreciate the words of wisdom you offer... however, you say you are for affirmative action; could you explain what you have done to make sure the City of Bemidji, Kraus-Anderson and VenuWorks are abiding by Executive Order #11246 which is the law of the land on such huge public works projects financed with ALL people's tax-dollars.
Right now before your very eyes and with your complete silence, the BREC is being constructed without a BREC specific affirmative action policy in place in complete violation of the law.
Now, you may find my truthful comments to be "confrontational" but you probably aren't among the 60% unemployed on an Indian Reservation living in poverty because Mayor Lehman and the racist "good ol' boys club" is enabling their friends to make all the profits and get all the good jobs.
By-the-way, are you aware that the Native American Indian population in the City of Bemidji is 25% and the only places where there seems to be some equal opportunities is in the Beltrami County jail cells and in the lines at the Beltrami County Food Shelf.
There is a reason Bemidji is known as "the most racist city in North America."
Perhaps the BREC should consider establishing a "Wall of Shame" to show tourists how the human rights of Native American Indians have been systematically abused in the region.
What makes you think I, or anyone else, has a "beef" about anything just because you make excuses for the systemic and institutionalized racism the BREC has become a symbol of?
Since you support unions so much I don't expect to see you crossing our picket lines since workers maintaining and staffing the BREC are entitled to real living wage jobs and not the poverty-wage jobs VenuWorks is accustomed to paying its employees who they treat like crap.
Here is what the Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council views as a fair solution to the problem created by Mayor Lehman and the "good ol' boys club" intentionally violating affirmative action laws in planning and construction of the BREC:
The initial hiring shall comprise, according to Bemidji's Native American Indian Population:
1. 25% Native American Indian workers hired for administration, staffing and maintenance of the BREC.
2. Another 25% Native American Indian employment for violating affirmative action in constructing the BREC.
3. Another 10% Native American Indian employment as a penalty for the powers that be making a premeditated racist decision to evade and violate the law of the land, Executive Order #11246.
Now, Mr. Erickson; if you are not familiar with Executive Order #11246 and since you are a defender and supporter of non-discrimination, equality for all peoples and for affirmative action, I would suggest you "google up" Executive Order #11246 and check out what the problem is here because I just searched the City of Bemidji's web site, then I went to VenuWorks website as you recommended I do and I can't find one single reference to any affirmative action policy regarding the BREC.
However, I have noticed that the City of Bemidji, Krause-Anderson and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development are being sued right now in Beltrami County District Court for failure to develop and implement an affirmative action policy on this boon-doggle know so affectionately as "THE BREC" which is now mired in racism and corruption.
I'm not sure if the corruption has bred the racism or the racism has bred corruption on this BREC project; however, I do know that tax-payers are not going to be happy footing a bunch of legal fees for this atrocious racism and the racist discrimination and lack of affirmative action, and tax-payers are going to be even more enraged if they ever find out all of the wheel-barrows being rented for $28.00 a day, not to mention the cost of renting sledge-hammers.
Someone should explain why the City of Bemidji and the State of Minnesota are so inept they had to hire Kraus-Anderson and now VenuWorks to profit while feeding at the public trough.
You might have noticed all the public works projects built during the the period of the "New Deal" when government was competent enough to build its own buildings and operate them as public works without profiteers sticking their greedy little racist fingers in the pot.
By the way; you might want to know my concern about who is getting hired--- well, let me tell you, there are thousands of people employed in smoke-filled casinos receiving poverty wages while working without any rights--- I kind of figure that since people like you could sit in silence as this injustice has been perpetrated for so many years, you won't mind these casino workers getting a first shot opportunity to at least be working in a healthy smoke-free environment to start with as we negotiate a union contract providing real living wages according to the cost of living in the area--- would you mind telling me how much you make a year so we we can get an idea what kind of pay the BREC workers need to survive in this tourist town which was created by driving Native American Indians from what used to be their homes where the BREC is now being constructed with such fan-fare?
Confrontation, Mr. Erickson? Where?
For you, Mr. Erickson, people standing up for their human rights becomes "confrontation." What adjective do you use for herding human beings like cattle into Indian Reservations where you allow human beings to live in such disgraceful poverty? Ever hear of the word "genocide?"
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
57 minutes ago ·
Alan, my comments had nothing to do with the issues you so elegantly describe. I was simply pointing out that this might not be the right place for it. My only point was this; what allowed you to post your grievances here was the fact that you clicked a tab at the top of the page that said " Become a Fan". Not, "Become a Detractor". You can always create a page for that.
Maybe VenuWorks would like to hire me for this position. I have the perfect headline for your promotional brochures:
"Welcome to the Bemidji Regional Event Center located in the most racist community in North America."
Rita Hutchinson Albrecht Looking forward to the opening!
February 4 at 12:41pm · Report
Thanks Rita for being such a tremendous supporter of the project!
February 12 at 8:34am · Report
Rita, I'm looking forward to seeing you and all your racist friends in government you helped to elect at the BREC's Grand Opening, too. To bad you aren't as big a fan for equality and equal employment opportunities as you are for making sure the right kind of shrubbery gets planted around the BREC.
You know, Jeff; in Bemidji there never seems to be a good time and place to talk about ending racism and the need to enforce affirmative action... certainly there must have been ample time someplace between the time Native American Indians were driven from their homes along Lake Bemidji up until now when this discussion could have taken place... and, I don't imagine they were driven off in limousines.
Like every Minnesotan, I have quite a little investment in this racist boon-doggle know as the BREC and no one ever asked me to join a fan club for this project before they spent my money on it. But, there is no reason to discuss the merits of whether or not this project should have ever been started at a time like this when for most working people who are footing the bill are suffering during this economic depression.
There is going to be Phase II, Phase III, Phase IV, Phase V and so on with the same rotten racist hiring "standards" all the way down the line.
This little BREC "fan club" has been established for one, and one purpose alone, to try to hoodwink the public into thinking all is well in "tourist land."
Well, Jeff, as you can see we have some problems with this project the tax-payers are footing the bill for while business profits and a whole lot of poor people suffer even more.
90% of those being employed in this boon-doggle don't even live anywhere around Bemidji.
VenuWorks is an outside management firm coming in to profit while gorging at the public trough when public facilities just like this are being managed just fine by those on city, state and federal payrolls.
Now, to quote you Jeff, you have stated as the purpose for this "fan club:"
"The record can easily be set straight for those who really want to find out."
Well, Mr. Erickson, the record is being set straight; now the problem is "setting the injustices right."
2 comments:
Alan,
Can you give me a couple of examples of publicly managed (city, state or fed) arenas that are consistantly in the black? I'm a Twin Cities native and in the arena business (not w/ venuworks), so I've taken a mild interest in this project.
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