PCL, the general contractor for the projects, has hired many
members from Mille Lacs and other bands and tribes. PCL superintendent Andy
Forsberg has high praise for the workers and for the TERO staff who work with
contractors to enforce laws requiring them to hire Indians on casino jobs.
In return, workers at the sites give high marks to PCL. The
company has been understanding of workers’ family obligations and has created a
fun and respectful atmosphere for workers.
Ron Audie has been working as a laborer on the Hinckley job
since August, and he’s hoping to stay with the company for the duration of the
project — and possibly longer if he can relocate to other job sites. “I like
the work, and it’s a really great group of guys,” said Ron. “The bosses are
cool, and we have a really good foreman.” So far he’s done everything from building
forms and cutting concrete to removing floors and demolition — lots of
demolition.
It’s not all fun-and-games, though. “The biggest challenge
is that it’s physically demanding,” said Ron, who is 53. “When I go home at
night, yeah, I’m a little tired.”
Gary Kuntz is known as a “jack of all trades” around the
Hinckley site, with a lot of construction experience. He worked for Ebert on
the powwow grounds and has also worked for Shingobe and Olympic Drywall. “I’m
hoping to keep working until they tell me I’m physically unable to do it,” said
Gary. “I absolutely love these jobs, but we need some younger people.”
One younger co-worker is Rueben St. John, who says
construction is “good hard work, and honest money.” He laments that too many
young men don’t seem to want to work. “You see these young kids who want this
handed to them,” he said. “Yes, there are girls who like you, mostly for your
money, so don’t get carried away.” He likes the satisfaction he gets from
seeing a job well done. “What we’re doing here is gonna be great. Things that
needed to be done are getting done.”
George LaFave has also been bouncing around the site from
job to job, getting experience in everything from drywall to carpentry to
electrical to kitchens. “The pay is great, and I’m working close to home,” said
George. “Construction is something good to get into, and here you can learn
about the different trades. I would like to get on with main PCL crew and keep
working permanently.”
Tim Boyd is at the other end of that story. He started working
construction when the Mille Lacs ALU was being built. “I thought ‘I kinda like
this stuff,’ so that spring I went and joined the union.” He’s been a union
plumber ever since, and is working for subcontractor Egan on the Hinckley
project. “I like that it’s not monotonous, not doing the same thing day after
day,” said Tim. “You might be setting fixtures one day, then we’ll be digging,
putting in underground pipes the next.”
Other Band members working on the site are Wallace St. John,
who works as a laborer, Terry Smith, an electrician for Hunt Electric, and
Dione Davis, an administrative assistant at the PCL trailer.
And then there’s Bonnie Dorr, who does a variety of jobs at
the Hinckley site (including giving tours to journalists). She’s worked on the
Mille Lacs hotel remodel, the Eddy’s project, and at Mystic Lake. “PCL is so
good to me,” she said. “I want to retire, but they just keep calling me back.
They’re such a good employer, and they hire more Natives than they need to. We
have close to 30 Native Americans at this site.”