"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Tribal Council Sustains Chief’s Veto

TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA – The Cherokee Nation Tribal Council sustained two recent vetoes of Principal Chief Chad Smith, including the much debated minimum wage proposal for Cherokee Nation employees. The vote came during the Council’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting in Tahlequah.

Smith urged the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council to “phase-in” a change to the Cherokee Nation’s minimum wage, and vetoed a version of the law which calls for an immediate increase in the minimum wage to a full $8 per hour. Smith says he remains supportive of the plan to increase the minimum wage to a full $8 an hour, but proposes that the Council phase in the increase in the minimum wage to allow for responsible planning, budgeting and implementation that would treat all employees fairly.

“I strongly support a minimum wage increase. However, this version of the law, as passed, would allow the next person who walks in off the street to make as much money as a dedicated employee who has worked here for three years,” Smith said. “That isn’t right. This proposal affects hundreds of people. I care about all of our employees and we need to treat them fairly through the budget process. We should do what most governments do: phase in an increase in minimum wage over time.”

The Council’s vote to sustain the veto paves the way for a compromise minimum wage act to move through Council, possibly as soon as next month.

In other action, the Council confirmed the nominations of David Ballew as a Board Member for Cherokee Nation Industries and of Scott Gregory as a Commissioner of the Cherokee Nation Tax Commission. Resolutions were also approved for Cherokee Nation Real Estate Services to issue land assignments on tribal land and for the authorization of Cherokee Nation Environmental Programs to submit a grant to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the Inter-Tribal Environmental Council Superfund Program.

The next Tribal Council meeting will be held on Monday, November 13, at 6 p.m. in the Tribal Council Chambers at the Cherokee Nation complex south of Tahlequah.