And then there’s the “We need Jobs for the People” Issue
The Sunday-Monday edition of our local newspaper listed 29 job openings. Not including those at the Buccaneer Hotel, which is looking for people to fill many vacant positions there. The Wednesday edition listed 28 openings, again, not including the Buccaneer. And at this time of year, we have many transient workers who are here for the high times, but will go to Sarasota or Alaska for the Summer. So there are not as many spots to fill as there are during the months of May through December. It’s still plenty. But people say “there are no jobs…”
We also frequently see “Help Wanted” ads (and we hear them on the radio) by the Divi Hotel and Casino. In fact, a few months ago, the Divi asked the government if they could hire people under 21 to work in the casino, since they could not find enough qualified Cruzans of age to work in the industry. Where are all the people who need jobs? Do they really WANT to work?
The “powers that be” support Paul Golden in his attempts to build a resort/convention center/casino on the South Shore because he’ll bring jobs to the territory. Hmmmm. There aren’t enough qualified people to fill the vacancies we have now, so….
He’ll have to hire more statesiders! And then the people dem will bitch about all “de outsiders dem takin’ all de jobs dem”.
It won’t be pretty.
And then there’s the guy we see at all the Paul Golden hearings. Roy Rogers. He has kids with college degrees. He wants them to work in Golden’s Resort. But he wants them to start out in managerial positions.
Well, I know a guy who’s the president of an oil company in RI. His father owned the company. But his father made him learn the business from the “ground up”. He started out cleaning boilers and working in freezing cold temperatures. He learned every aspect of the job so he could become a good manager. His company is very successful because of this. Why can’t Roy’s kids start out dealing cards at Divi to see what it’s like?
I came from the states a while ago, but I have paid my dues, doing everything (even with a master’s degree) from cleaning other peoples’ toilets to finally running a successful business. I don’t want an influx of Americans here. I left America because I wanted a simpler island-style life. Americans will bring their strip malls and IHOPs. Ugh!
St. Croix has so much potential to become a unique example of responsible development and non-invasive tourism. Why can’t we all just work together to make this happen rather than cow-towing to some big talking Jerseyite with a lot of PR and too little common sense and foresight?
Tags: , jobs, Rants, St. Croix, Terry Talk
February 28th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
well the buccs standards are so high that most locals simply cannot work there because they have no idea what it means to deal with people who expect first class service because they are paying 300 to 1000 a night for a room in season,the divi on the other hand is too remote for a job that pays less than 10 bucks an hour and so both places tend to go through employees like toilet paper, the carambola had to bring in white afrikaners to work as interns to work through most of season, i’m not sure why all the fuss over golden, his project is not expected to get off the ground,how many “important”announcements has he made over the years, Traxco controls the government here, we all know that, we will never be like st.martin or st. thomas as far as tourism goes but we could use 3 more big resorts, we have enough space and the locals don’t work hotel jobs anyway for the most part thats why we have so many down islanders here, stanford is good,home depot is good,resorts are good,pig people off of cruise ships are not good,in order to attract any good stateside talent like doctors and teachers this island needs more amenities, when you look at the big picture, progress is good and i for one have no desire to go to the airport and climb on a plane to fly up to america for decent healthcare,as far as changing things once the politics are cleaned up everything else will fall into place,STX is on the verge of change and yes you’ve been here longer than me,i’ve only been here about 15 years, but change is long overdue
February 29th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Yes, change is good. Like thinking outside the box. Like having eco-tourism and agriculture as mainstays of our economy rather than casinos and golf courses which pollute minds and the environment.
I’m for most of Kevin Rames’ proposed project in Frederiksted.We know the Mashantucket-Pequot Nation is a culture with concern for the environment.
And we don’t need another casino on this side producing drunk drivers who run over all the animals on the east end roads.
February 29th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Ladie…you make a good point about the local work force.
I am a twice a year visitor and lover of the island.
I can’t see how building more understaffed resorts and casinos will help. It will only spread a thin workforce thinner and add a bad reputation to the quality of the island experience, especially the luxury experience.
Staff up Divi, Carambola, Buccaneer and increase the demand first.
March 3rd, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I would like to banish the casinos. They don’t add anything to the island and any tourists who like gambling won’t support local businesses. I would like to see more small hotel (grapetree, clover crest, etc) like before Fountain Valley and Hugo. That’s when the island was prospering. And it sure would be nice to see cattle on the island again. I hate seeing all the beautiful land cleared for housing for the super rich.
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Thanks for reading, Sandy.
We are thrilled that Bill Smith is resurrecting the Grapetree Bay Hotel. We’ve spoken to him a couple of times and he’s for real. He’s frequently out there clearing bush with the guys and getting his hands dirty. I respect someone like that.
The senepols will hopefully stay on the south shore because the university needs that much land to keep them on. There are a few by the great pond and a few more on the Castle Nugent property.
March 4th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Terry, I totally agree with you on the responsible development on St. Croix. Yes we need development and more jobs and careers in the Virgin Islands specially St. Croix. Blaming the local government is not always the solution to our issues. I think we have a lot of work to do as a community. I have heard some company launched Virgin Islands’ first job website http://www.career.vi. I think initiatives like career.vi would help us bring the level playing field for all in the hilly islands. I know personally many mainlanders ask me how they can find jobs in the Virgin Islands. I think finally now they have the answer in the form of career.vi.
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