April 16, 2018
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE:
We, the undersigned Indian tribal nations, tribal corporations, and tribal trade
associations—collectively organized as the Coalition for Tribal Sovereignty—write in strong
support of S. 140, which includes H.R. 986, the “Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act of 2017
(TLSA),” as a provision of the bill. TLSA would promote tribal sovereignty by affirming the
rights of tribal governmental employers to determine their own labor practices on their own
lands.
In 1935, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) was enacted to ensure fair labor
practices. However, it excluded federal, state and local governmental employers from its reach.
Though the Act did not expressly treat Indian tribes as governmental employers, the National
Labor Relations Board (NLRB) respected the sovereign status of tribal governmental employers
for close to seventy years before abruptly abandoning its own precedent and reversing course in
2004.
Since its decision in San Manuel Indian Bingo, the NLRB has aggressively asserted
jurisdiction over tribal labor practices when it determines tribal government employers are acting
in a “commercial” rather than a “governmental” capacity—an analysis it does not apply to state
or local government employers.
TLSA builds upon a principle that has been amply demonstrated by Indian tribes across
the country: when tribal sovereignty is respected and acknowledged, economic success follows.
Enactment of S. 140 would prevent an unnecessary and unwarranted overreach by the NLRB
into the affairs of tribal governments. By amending the NLRA to expressly treat tribal
government employers and their enterprises and institutions the same as it treats state, local and
federal government employers, S. 140 would provide corrective guidance to the NLRB and bring
parity to tribal government employers across the nation.
The Coalition for Tribal Sovereignty strongly supports S. 140 and strongly urges you to
support this important bill.
Sincerely,
Affiliated Tribes of Northwest IndiansORAgua Caliente Band of Cahuilla IndiansCAAmerican Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA)NMAmerican Indian Chamber of Commerce of New MexicoNMAmerican Indian Chamber of Commerce of South CarolinaSCAmerican Indian Infrastructure Association WYArctic Slope Native AssociationAKArctic Slope Regional CorporationAKBarona Band of Mission IndiansCABear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria CABig Valley Band of Pomo Indians of the Big Valley RancheriaCABishop Paiute TribeCABois Forte Band of ChippewaMNCalifornia Association of Tribal GovernmentsCACentral Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of AlaskaAKCheyenne River Sioux TribeSDChickasaw NationOKChippewa Cree Tribe MTChoctaw Nation of OklahomaOKChuathbaluk Traditional CouncilAKCitizen Potawatomi Nation OKCoeur d’Alene Tribe IDComanche NationOKConfederated Salish and Kootenai TribesMTConfederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama NationWAConfederated Tribes of Siletz Indians ORConfederated Tribes of the Chehalis ReservationWAConfederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation WAConfederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation ORConfederated Tribes of Warm Springs ORCoquille Indian Tribe ORCouncil for Native Hawaiian Advancement HICow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of IndiansORDelaware NationOKDiné Development Corp a wholly owned Navajo Nation business AZ, NMDoyon, Limited AKEastern Shawnee Tribe of OklahomaOKEastern Shoshone TribeWYElk Valley Rancheria CAEly Shoshone Tribe NVEwiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay IndiansCAFederated Indians of Graton RancheriaCAForest County Potawatomi CommunityWIFort Belknap Indian Community MTGreat Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association SDHabematolel Pomo of Upper LakeCAHo-Chunk NationWIIipay Nation of Santa YsabelCAInter Tribal Association of Arizona AZIntertribal Timber Council ORJamestown S'Klallam TribeWAKalispel Tribe of IndiansWAKaruk TribeCAKeweenaw Bay Indian Community MIKenaitze Indian Tribe AKKickapoo Traditional Tribe of TexasTXLac du Flambeau TribeWILeech Lake Band of Ojibwe MNLittle River Band of Ottawa IndiansMILittle Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians MILower Elwha Klallam TribeWALummi NationWAMashantucket Pequot Tribal NationCTMatch-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians (Gun Lake Tribe)MIMetlakatla Indian Community, Annette Islands ReserveAKMidwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes (MAST)WIMinnesota American Indian Chamber of CommerceMNMississippi Band of Choctaw IndiansMSMohegan Tribe of ConnecticutCTMooretown Rancheria CAMorongo Band of Mission Indians CAMuscogee (Creek) NationOKNaknek Native Village AKNational American Indian Housing Council (NAIHC)DCNational Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED)AZNational Congress of American Indians (NCAI)DCNational Indian Gaming Association (NIGA)DCNational Native American Bar AssociationAZNational Native American Chamber of CommerceMONative American Contractors Association (NACA)DCNative American Development Corporation (NADC)MTNative American Enterprise Initiative (NAEI)DCNative Village of Afognak AKNative Village of KarlukAKNative Village of Kiana, Kiana Traditional CouncilAKNative Village of KoyukAKNative Village of NuiqsutAKNative Village of Ouzinkie AKNative Village of TununakAKNavajo NationAZ, NM, UTNew Stuyahok Traditional CouncilAKNez PerceIDNorthern Arapaho TribeWYOglala Sioux TribeSDOhkay OwingehNMOklahoma Indian Gaming Association OKOneida Indian Nation NYOsage NationOKOtoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians OKPala Band of Mission Indians CAPascua Yaqui TribeAZPaskenta Band of Nomlaki IndiansCAPauma Band of Mission IndiansCAPawnee NationOKPechanga Band of Luiseño Indians CAPenobscot Indian NationMEPoarch Band of Creek IndiansALPort Gamble S’Klallam TribeWAPrairie Island Indian CommunityMNPueblo of AcomaNMPueblo of IsletaNMPueblo of Laguna NMPueblo of PojoaqueNMPueblo of Tesuque NMPuyallup TribeWAQagan Tayagungin Tribe of Sand PointAKQuapaw Tribe of OklahomaOKQuinault NationWARed Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa IndiansWIRed Lake NationMNReno-Sparks Indian Colony NVRincon Band of Luiseño IndiansCARocky Mountain Indian Chamber of CommerceCORocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council MTSac and Fox Nation OKSac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in IowaIASaginaw Chippewa Indian TribeMISamish Indian NationWASan Manuel Band of Mission IndiansCASanta Clara PuebloNMSantee Sioux NationNESauk-Suiattle Indian TribeWASault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa IndiansMISeldovia Village TribeAKSeminole Nation of OklahomaOKShingle Springs Band of MiwokCAShinnecock Indian NationNYShakopee Mdewakanton Sioux CommunityMNShoalwater Bay Tribe WAShoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall ReservationIDSoboba Band of Luiseño IndiansCASokaogon Chippewa Community, Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa WISouthern Ute Indian TribeCOSovereign Councils of the Hawaiian Homeland Assembly HISpokane Tribe of IndiansWASt. Croix Chippewa Indians of WisconsinWIStockbridge-Munsee Community WISwinomish Indian Tribal CommunityWASusanville Indian Rancheria CASycuan Band of the Kumeyaay TribeCATable Mountain RancheriaCATanana Chiefs ConferenceAKThlopthlocco Tribal TownOKTonkawa Tribe of OklahomaOKTorres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians CATribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations (TASIN)CATulalip TribesWATunica-Biloxi Indian TribeLATuolumne Band of Me-Wuk IndiansCAUgashik Traditional Village CouncilAKUnited Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in OklahomaOKUnited Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma CorporationOKUnited South and Eastern Tribes Sovereignty Protection Fund (USET)TNViejas Band of Kumeyaay IndiansCAWampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah)MAWhite Earth Band of Chippewa Indians MNWichita and Affiliated Tribes OKWinnebago Tribe of NebraskaNEWyandotte NationOKYavapai-Prescott Indian TribeAZYocha Dehe Wintun Nation CA
