TERO Department

TERO enforces the Spokane Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance of 1995, which provides for Indian Preference in any employment, contract and subcontract conducted on or near the Spokane Indian Reservation.

T.E.R.O. coordinates the Certification of Indian Contractors, Negotiates Employer Compliance Plans, offers a Tribal Hiring Hall, Apprenticeship Program, Cooperative Human Resource Agreements as well as providing for work-related training.

T.E.R.O. receives funding from the EEOC or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for processing and conciliating discrimination charges for Native Americans under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

The purposes of the TERO Ordinance include, but are not necessarily limited to:

(a)	To insure that no covered employer discriminates against any Tribal member or Indian in any aspect of employment, including but not limited to, hiring, promotion, demotion, transfer, change in work status, lay-offs, and termination from employment.
(b)	To require that all covered employers give preference to qualified Indians in all aspects of employment, including but not limited to, hiring, promotion, demotion, transfer, changes in work status, lay-offs, and termination from employment.
(d)	To require that all entities awarding contracts give preference to Certified Indian Preference Contractors for contract and subcontract work on the Reservation.
(d)	To require all covered employers to utilize the TERO Hiring Hall in all hiring with respect to work to be performed on the Reservation.
(e)	To require, in appropriate cases, that covered employers establish needed training programs intended to combat the effects of discrimination.
(f)	To provide services to covered employers to assist them in meeting their requirements under this Ordinance, in locating qualified Indians to fill employment needs, establish needed training programs and meet federal requirements guarding against discrimination.
(g)	To require all covered employers to contribute to the services provided by and the enforcement of this Ordinance by the fees established herein.

TERO has three main functions:

1. TERO enforces the Spokane Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance of 1995, that provides for Indian Preference in employment, contracting and subcontracting conducted on or near the Spokane Indian Reservation.
2. TERO coordinates the Certification of Indian Contractors, Negotiates Employer Compliance Plans, Offers a Tribal Hiring Hall, Apprenticeship Program, Cooperative Human Resource Agreements as well as providing for work-related training.
3. TERO also represents the local EEOC or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The Spokane Tribal Employment Rights Office is committed to:

• Providing information on Indian Preference and Equal Employment laws;
• Providing job search, application assistance, interviewing and job retention information.
• Negotiating Indian Preference Agreements with employers operating on or near the Spokane Indian Reservation;
• Maintaining employment referral services to employers both on or near the Reservation;
• Investigating and completing on-site inspections of employers, contractors, or subcontractors to insure compliance with the TERO Ordinance and Tribes' Indian Preference Policy;
• Receiving and investigating potential employment discrimination complaint charges;
• Drafting charges of alleged violations of Title VII, filing with EEOC and attempting to conciliate complaints;Assisting Indians in capitalizing on employment opportunities and in developing their own businesses;