Resolution - Ser-H-GAC.

WHEREAS, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the largest and oldest Hispanic organization in the United States; and
 
WHEREAS, Service, Employment, Redevelopment (SER) Jobs for Progress, Incorporated, was founded by LULAC Council 60 and the American GI Forum in Houston in 1964 as a placement center to serve the Mexican-American; and
 
WHEREAS, the Houston-Galveston Area Council, a 35-member Board of Directors, composed of local elected officials who serve on the governing bodies of member local governments and work together with public and private sector organizations and a host of volunteers; and
 
WHEREAS, the Houston-Galveston Area Council is a recipient of state and federal tax-dollars; and
 
WHEREAS, certain equal opportunity and nondiscrimination laws enforced by the US Department of Labor (DOL) are application to recipients of financial assistance. Collectively, these laws prohibit discrimination of required covered recipients to ensure that program beneficiaries and employees receive equal opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, sec, age, national origin, disability and other bases; and
 
WHEREAS, on June 17, 2008 the H-GAC Board voted to terminate their contract with SER, effectively closing three workforce training facilities they operate, and leaving more than 70 SER employees without a job; and
 
WHEREAS, LULAC believes that the Houston-Galveston Area Council performance evaluators utilized procedures to terminate SER Funds; and
 
WHEREAS, according to a letter to Mr. Jack Stell, H-GAC Executive Director, from the Honorable Texas Senator, Mario Gallegos, Jr., District 6, the areas which SER served were communities with Houston: Denver Harbor, North Shore and the North East area. These small communities certainly cannot be held to the same performance measures as facilities which serve whole cities, such as Columbus, Baytown, Hunstville and Galveston and the East End, it would be obvious that SER’s performance was on par or above the performance of those facilities. SER was not appropriately informed of their status as a “low performer” before H-GAC’s Workforce board voted to cut all of their funding. During the time immediately leading up to the Workforce Board’s May 29th vote, SER was not put on probation, given an opportunity to resolve performance issues, or explicitly told they were low performing; and
 
now THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that LULAC District VIII and Texas LULAC condemn H-GAC disparate treatment to terminate SER Funds to address HGAC own financial shortfall in its budget; and
 
now THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVEd that LULAC requests that the US Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis initiate a full compliance investigation in the manner HGAC arrived in their decision in terminating SER funds.
 
BE IT further RESOLVEd, Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, investigate HGAC disparity of minority representation in it board of directors, committees and HGAC staff.

Approved this 18th day of July 2009.

Rosa Rosales
LULAC National President