A petition bearing the names of more than 100 signatures of members of the Sault Tribe demanding that the Board of Directors cut their unearned annual pay of $67,000 not including benefits and expenses was met with a "bite me and shove it where the sun don't shine"
attitude by the board.
They don't care what we say, they didn't get elected to represent the desires of the members and as a matter of fact...several of them probably weren't honestly elected in the first place.
The Sault Tribe Board of Directors refuses to act on the petition by the membership. They are just going to ignore it and by doing so, none are on record as voting against the referendum. The Sault Tribe Indians are held hostage again by their very own leaders and there isn't a damn thing anyone can do about it.
All over the country, corporate executives are being held responsible for their failures. Billions paid to tops execs with only their own fat pockets getting fatter caused many of the financial failures and the Sault Tribe Board of Directors are no different. They failed in every imaginable way that resulted in job losses for hundreds as well
as the closing of many of our medical centers.
None of them are more innocent then the rest of them because not one director is standing up strong on behalf of the members of the tribe. It does no good to feebly state that "I tried but what can I do?". You can mouth off like I do...that's what you can do. You can let the members know that not all the directors are saying "screw you"to all those that lost their jobs and all those families that are devastated with the losses they will continue to suffer because of the unqualified, greedy bunch of hooligans on the board. If there is a director on that board that believes they should take a paycut and give up their expense account then either come forward or take your place with the rest of them.
Tribal members: Don't think you will have an alternative come election time because they don't care what the voters want either. They will ignore the votes, rewrite the end of the story the way they always have and they will hang on until there is nothing left of the Sault Tribe. But why not since most members don't seem to care enough to stand up for their rights anyway.
The bottom line is this: if any of the directors cared they would have taken a pay cut without being asked....but they didn't and they have no intention of doing so.
2 comments:
It appears the petitions may have went the way of the Voter Registration forms. Up in smoke (and mirrors). But just because the paper no longer exists doesn't mean that the idea went missing as well.
The responsible thing to do is to take their own medicine and cut the wages of the board, the top execs, and managers. Geez they paid Paquin plenty while on suspension so they weren't that concerned about cash. The workers and members have been taking the hit alone long enough. They should call for a reduction of 20% in the wages of the board and all management. Time to reel the executive excess and pay people what they are worth not what they were gifted.
20% Not Enough !
It appears that we have come to accept that the $67,000 is the standard rate for BOD's. Not so...that figure was not based on market comparisons or based on the demands of the 'position'. It was purely an arbritary figure determined by the Board when they wanted to pad their pockets. Bernard promoted the wage as it was another tool for him to use to control the Board. Salaries and fringe benefit packages of this magnitude are generally only given to individuals who have advanced degrees, extensive experience and demonstrated skills for their position, and have been on the job for many years. Our Board just walks in , off the street, to this wage. Tribal members are being duped. The salaries of the Board should be immediately abolished and replaced with per meeting stipends.
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