Mercier Bridge Concerns

Dear Editor,

Like Mouchie Goodleaf (letter to the editor 18.47) I, too, have been following the issues concerning the Mercier Bridge with great interest.
First, I am not the Bridge portfolio chief. There is no such position, a point that was actually clarified by Grand Chief Mike Delisle at a meeting that Mr. Goodleaf himself attended at the MCK offices in October.
While I have been assigned the Labor Portfolio, it is not exclusive to the Mercier Bridge but to any and all labor issues in Kahnawà:ke.
I am involved with the Fair Wage Agreement, which ensures that workers are paid a rate that is comparable to ironworkers elsewhere.
Mr. Goodleaf’s letter implies that somehow the MCK supports outside bodies being allowed into the territory.
He should recall that the community (via the MCK) has taken measures to remove these entities from Kahnawà:ke, with the creation of Mohawk Self Insurance to replace CSST as a prime example.
As we build capacity, we build jurisdiction. It is ludicrous to think that we would choose to move backward instead of forward.
The dispute regarding union versus non-union is clearly one that the MCK did not create. The MCK’s role has been to ensure that Mohawk people do the work on any structure that is located on our territory.
While the Mercier Bridge job is non-union, it can’t be denied that a substantial number of the great many union men in Kahnawà:ke have not been pleased with certain developments.
I, like most others, hope the differences can be resolved. It can be said that hundreds of men are, or have been, union men.
When our husbands, fathers and grandfathers came home from New York after a hard week, did we ever consider their union status as something that compromised our jurisdiction? I don’t think so.
In terms of the Ramp 4 ceremony, I am pleased that Mr. Goodleaf took note of my absence. I had a previously scheduled commitment that needed to be respected but there were several chiefs who were on site to take part in the celebration.
Like all Kahnawa’kehró:non, I am proud that this important job is being carried out by our people, as we have proven for well over a hundred years that we are among the very best in the world at doing this type of work.

Chief Rhonda Kirby