|
Quarterly Newsletter | Twenty-Sixth Edition | June 2023
ODOT’s Office of Equity and Civil Rights’ newsletter, Equity Line, brings to you the newest content relevant to your business and business needs. Whether you work in transportation-related fields, construction, or just drive Oregon’s roads and have an interest in what ODOT is doing for the Oregon economy, OECR’s Equity Line is a newsletter you will want to read.
Congratulations Spring Pre-Apprenticeship Graduates!
Join us in congratulating these graduates of the Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC), a class offered by Oregon Tradeswomen’s Pathways to Success program. Through the ODOT/BOLI partnership, TACC is a 192-hour apprenticeship and employment readiness training program that serves to prepare job seekers for a career in the skilled construction trades. The class is free for job seekers and those who successfully complete the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries program receive a certificate of completion. Oregon Tradeswomen also have career counselors to assist TACC graduates with job searches and applications.
CUG Summer Work Session
June 27, 2023, all day: Chemeketa Eola
The CUG Summer Work Session will provide an opportunity for the CUG subcommittees to collaborate in person to move work items forward. To facilitate this opportunity, a virtual attendance option will not be available. Registration details coming soon!
|
“We’re putting food in the fridge and shoes on the feet,” says Harris Reibach, Director for the Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO) for the Confederated tribes of Grand Ronde.
TERO provides employment opportunities and training in Oregon for Native Americans of all federally recognized tribes. They collaborate with ODOT to set minority employment standards and serve as a staffing agency, employing Native American workers for ODOT projects within a 60-mile radius of the reservation boundary. TERO’s collaboration with ODOT employs an average of 50-60 people across ODOT construction projects at one time. Without the collaboration, there would be 50-60 people without employment.
“It really is a trailblazing collaborative relationship that provides such a benefit to the Native community,” says Reibach.
This partnership has presented TERO with their biggest project in the program's history, the I-205 construction project of the Abernethy bridge. Reibach set a 5% Native American minority goal for the project which he has exceeded. Currently, 6.68% of the workers on the project are Native American.
“We wouldn’t be dispatching as many people as we are now if it wasn’t for the ODOT Memorandum of Understanding agreement (MOU),” says Reibach.
“It really is a trailblazing collaborative relationship that provides such a benefit to the Native community,” says Reibach.
Native American employment rates are historically low in Oregon. This is partially why the tribe started the program in 2013. TERO was also formed to involve Native American communities in the business and economic developments surrounding the reservation.
“What better outlet to increase employment than to utilize what’s occurring on or near your reservation?” asks Reibach.
TERO employs a variety of construction workers including laborers, carpenters, ironworkers, stone masons and more. They also offer construction-related training for flaggers, heavy equipment operators and commercial drivers.
The organization also provides an access point for Native American-owned construction-related businesses to work on ODOT projects. For example, Eugene Williams Construction and Eugene Williams Asphalt are tribal-owned companies that provide construction and asphalt oil services. They are currently working on a handful of different ODOT projects.
“If you’re a Native American of any federally recognized tribe and you're working currently or you're looking for work, or you're interested in the construction trade, you can come to TERO and we can assist you,” says Reibach.
Contact TERO at 503-879-2188 or visit the website at GrandRonde.org.
|
This is an exciting time to be a part of the Office of Equity and Civil Rights! We are growing and have added some brand new positions to our team and filled other positions that were left vacant. I’d like to personally welcome the following people to our team:
Terrence McTier, Equity and Civil Rights Program Manager
Andres Endericavillacis, Small Business Navigator
Caty Lucas, Small Business Navigator
Michelle Ehara, Labor Equity Coordinator
We still have one critical position that we need to fill and that is our Labor Equity Manager role! This role is new to ODOT and will lead a critically important program. Please watch for this position to be posted next week, and send it out to your networks. If you’re interested and have program/project management experience, please apply! If you would like an informational meeting about the role, please reach out to Susie Ashenfelter.
- Erika McCalpine
Assistant Director for the Office of Social Equity
Oregon Department of Transportation
Projects Open for Bids
Exit 124/125 Interchange Area Management Plan and Garden Valley Corridor Plan
BID: S-73000-00007020 Opening* Date: 06/05/2023 02:00PM
OR138W: MP 0.0 to MP 13.0 Culvert Repairs - Phase 1
BID: S-73000-00007034 Opening* Date: 06/06/2023 02:00PM
Portland Metro Area 2024-2027 ADA Curb Ramp Design (R1 - Production)
BID: S-73000-00006807 Opening* Date: 06/07/2023 02:00PM
Bear Creek Greenway Multi-Year Invasive Species Control
BID: S-73000-00005726 Opening* Date: 06/08/2023 02:00PM
Audiometric Testing Services
BID: S-73000-00006970 Opening* Date: 06/19/2023 12:00PM
ITB Pendleton Maintenance Station Wash Pad Improvements
BID: S-73000-00006852 Opening* Date: 06/21/2023 11:00AM
* Opening date refers to the date that bids are due for each project. All of these projects and more are
accepting bids.
|
