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Tribal Employment Rights Office

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Contact Information

Phone
505-552-5542

Mailing Address
PO Box 309, Acoma, NM 87034

Physical Address

Community Development Office – Alvin Lewis Sr. Building Complex

35 Pinsbaari Drive, Acoma, NM 87034

Office Hours

Monday – Friday
8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

TERO 

Erline Correa-TERO Program Manager

Mikalyn Romero – Business Manager

Raymond Concho Jr. – CDO Director

Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO)

 

The Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO) was established by the Acoma Tribal Council on August 8, 2016 via Resolution No. TC-AUG-08-16-VIc.  The TERO Ordinance was enacted to create employment and training opportunities for Native Americans and to instruct private sector employers doing business with, on or near the Pueblo of Acoma boundaries to give employment and promotional preference to Native Americans.  TERO also works in conjunction with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) and can assist in investigating and documenting alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act regarding discrimination.

In the past, employers/contractors who performed work with and on Acoma lands did not give hiring preference to Native Americans, bringing in non-Native American members to do the work, leaving qualified Native Americans without jobs.  By adopting the TERO Ordinance, the Pueblo of Acoma helps protect these jobs and the rights of Native American employees against unlawful actions taken by employers/contractors that are doing business with, on or near the Pueblo.

What is the Legal Basis for TERO?

A Tribe’s authority to enact and enforce an Indian/Native employment preference law is grounded in its inherent sovereign status. This legal doctrine is the most basic principle of Indian law and is supported by a host of Supreme Court decisions. Inherent sovereign powers derive from the principle that certain powers do not necessarily come from delegated powers granted by express acts of Congress, but are inherent powers of a limited sovereign that have never been taken away. Tribes have a basic relationship with the federal government as sovereign powers. This is recognized in both treaties and federal statutes. The sovereignty of tribes has been limited from time to time by treaties and federal legislation; however, what have not been expressly limited remains within tribal sovereignty.

 

What Does the TERO Do?

TERO is responsible for enforcing the Acoma TERO Ordinance which has been authorized by the Acoma Tribal Government to:

SET CONDITIONS:

That mandates the Tribal requirements for Native American preference that all covered Contractors/Employers must comply with in order to be eligible to perform work on or near tribal lands.

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ESTABLISH AUTHORITY:

That empowers the TERO Staff with sufficient authority to fully enforce all provisions of Acoma TERO Ordinance.

​ASSIGN RESPONSIBILITY:

That defines and describes the duties and responsibilities of the TERO staff.

DELINEATE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS:

That clearly spells out penalties Contractors/Employers may face for violations of  Tribal law.

PROVIDE DUE PROCESS:

That provides principles of legal fairness to all parties involved in compliance or violation dispute issue.