Nearly 400 employees of the Cherokee Nation government based in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, will see a pay increase effective October 1, thanks to Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker’s executive order raising the Nation’s minimum wage from .00 to .50 per hour over the next two years. Currently the federal minimum wage is .25 per hour.
“The Cherokee Nation’s mission is to be the employer of choice in northeast Oklahoma. We recognize that while the cost of goods and services has risen, wages have not, so we’re doing something about that. This wage increase will help more Oklahomans put food on the table, and rest easier about how to make ends meet. It will also allow our employees more discretionary spending, which boosts the local economy,” Baker said.
The pay raise will affect employees with more than one year of service. Those with less than one year of service will see a staggered increase over the fiscal year. Baker said, “Even though we’ve had to tighten our belts due to federal sequestration, this is the right thing to do. I commend our staff at Cherokee Nation for their responsible budgeting, which has made it possible to help so many of their fellow employees.”
Every Cherokee Nation and CNB employee, regardless of wage status, is eligible for health, dental and life insurance; a 401k matching plan; paid vacation and sick leave; educational reimbursement; and a year-end bonus. “This further proves that the Cherokee Nation is an economic leader, and employer of preference,” Baker said.
Baker also points with pride to the success of Cherokee Nation Businesses’ casinos. “Cherokee Nation Businesses started with the casinos, which generated money and expertise that allowed us to branch into other types of businesses. A large part of our profit is invested back into those businesses, which helps us grow and create more jobs. Everything we do puts dollars directly back into local economies,” Baker said.
Catoosa Mayor Harold “Red” Staten said the continued expansion of the Nation’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, which opened in 1993 as the Cherokee Nation Bingo Outpost, “has made it more lucrative to do business here. We have two new hotels and they’re full almost every night.”
Bureau of Labor Statistics figures indicate Catoosa has 12 percent more businesses now than 10 years ago when the casino added its first hotel tower and reopened the Cherokee Hills Golf Course.
