Nov. 8, 2002 – The guest speaker for the next luncheon meetings of the Advertising Club of the Virgin Islands on St. Thomas and St. Croix will focus on a subject that should be of interest to anyone who lives and works in the territory: Marketing Solutions for the Travel and Tourism Industry.
Garry Duell, publisher and chief executive of Miami-based Herald Custom Publishing, will examine approaches that work in selling a destination in today's ever-changing travel
and tourism market.
He will speak at the Ad Club luncheons Tuesday at the Old Mill Restaurant on St. Thomas and Wednesday at the Caravelle Hotel conference room in Christiansted on St. Croix.
Herald Custom Publishing is a division of Knight Ridder, the nation's second-largest print and online information publisher. Specializing in providing promotions and communications tools for the travel and tourism industry, HCP publishes high-end magazines, destination guides, in-room hotel guest guides and in-flight magazines that together reach 35 million frequent travelers a year.
Virgin Islanders on the go are probably familiar with one of its publications, the American Eagle in-flight magazine Latitudes.
The purpose of such publications, the Herald Custom Publishing Web site notes, is to enable clients "to strengthen their message in the marketplace and promote loyalty, retention and branding programs."
HCP clients include the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association, Bermuda Hotel Association, Los Cabos Hotel Association, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and Colorado Mountain Express.
Two years ago, HCP purchased Aboard Publishing, the largest publisher of in-flight magazines in Latin America. Last year, American Eagle selected HCP/Aboard to publish Latitudes. Aboard also produces Discover Central America, a publication found in premium hotel rooms in seven Central American countries.
The company recently launched proprietary publications in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Charleston, South Carolina, along with a Spanish-language magazine, Destino Miami, targeted to reach the Hispanic population visiting South Florida.
Reservations for the St. Thomas luncheon must be received by Monday noon and may be made by calling 776-7828. Tickets are $25 for Ad Club members and $30 for non-members. No-shows will be billed.
Reservations for the St. Croix luncheon, which is being sponsored by St. Croix Insurance and Bohlke Airways, must be received by Tuesday noon and may be made by calling 719-0578. Tickets are $18 for members and $23 for non-members. Again, no-shows will be billed.
On both islands, the luncheon and program will begin promptly at noon.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
AD CLUB SPEAKER'S TOPIC IS TOURISM MARKETING
Nov. 8, 2002 – The guest speaker for the next luncheon meetings of the Advertising Club of the Virgin Islands on St. Thomas and St. Croix will focus on a subject that should be of interest to anyone who lives and works in the territory: Marketing Solutions for the Travel and Tourism Industry.
Garry Duell, publisher and chief executive of Miami-based Herald Custom Publishing, will examine approaches that work in selling a destination in today's ever-changing travel
and tourism market.
He will speak at the Ad Club luncheons Tuesday at the Old Mill Restaurant on St. Thomas and Wednesday at the Caravelle Hotel conference room in Christiansted on St. Croix.
Herald Custom Publishing is a division of Knight Ridder, the nation's second-largest print and online information publisher. Specializing in providing promotions and communications tools for the travel and tourism industry, HCP publishes high-end magazines, destination guides, in-room hotel guest guides and in-flight magazines that together reach 35 million frequent travelers a year.
Virgin Islanders on the go are probably familiar with one of its publications, the American Eagle in-flight magazine Latitudes.
The purpose of such publications, the Herald Custom Publishing Web site notes, is to enable clients "to strengthen their message in the marketplace and promote loyalty, retention and branding programs."
HCP clients include the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association, Bermuda Hotel Association, Los Cabos Hotel Association, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and Colorado Mountain Express.
Two years ago, HCP purchased Aboard Publishing, the largest publisher of in-flight magazines in Latin America. Last year, American Eagle selected HCP/Aboard to publish Latitudes. Aboard also produces Discover Central America, a publication found in premium hotel rooms in seven Central American countries.
The company recently launched proprietary publications in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Charleston, South Carolina, along with a Spanish-language magazine, Destino Miami, targeted to reach the Hispanic population visiting South Florida.
Reservations for the St. Thomas luncheon must be received by Monday noon and may be made by calling 776-7828. Tickets are $25 for Ad Club members and $30 for non-members. No-shows will be billed.
Reservations for the St. Croix luncheon, which is being sponsored by St. Croix Insurance and Bohlke Airways, must be received by Tuesday noon and may be made by calling 719-0578. Tickets are $18 for members and $23 for non-members. Again, no-shows will be billed.
On both islands, the luncheon and program will begin promptly at noon.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
Garry Duell, publisher and chief executive of Miami-based Herald Custom Publishing, will examine approaches that work in selling a destination in today's ever-changing travel
and tourism market.
He will speak at the Ad Club luncheons Tuesday at the Old Mill Restaurant on St. Thomas and Wednesday at the Caravelle Hotel conference room in Christiansted on St. Croix.
Herald Custom Publishing is a division of Knight Ridder, the nation's second-largest print and online information publisher. Specializing in providing promotions and communications tools for the travel and tourism industry, HCP publishes high-end magazines, destination guides, in-room hotel guest guides and in-flight magazines that together reach 35 million frequent travelers a year.
Virgin Islanders on the go are probably familiar with one of its publications, the American Eagle in-flight magazine Latitudes.
The purpose of such publications, the Herald Custom Publishing Web site notes, is to enable clients "to strengthen their message in the marketplace and promote loyalty, retention and branding programs."
HCP clients include the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association, Bermuda Hotel Association, Los Cabos Hotel Association, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and Colorado Mountain Express.
Two years ago, HCP purchased Aboard Publishing, the largest publisher of in-flight magazines in Latin America. Last year, American Eagle selected HCP/Aboard to publish Latitudes. Aboard also produces Discover Central America, a publication found in premium hotel rooms in seven Central American countries.
The company recently launched proprietary publications in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Charleston, South Carolina, along with a Spanish-language magazine, Destino Miami, targeted to reach the Hispanic population visiting South Florida.
Reservations for the St. Thomas luncheon must be received by Monday noon and may be made by calling 776-7828. Tickets are $25 for Ad Club members and $30 for non-members. No-shows will be billed.
Reservations for the St. Croix luncheon, which is being sponsored by St. Croix Insurance and Bohlke Airways, must be received by Tuesday noon and may be made by calling 719-0578. Tickets are $18 for members and $23 for non-members. Again, no-shows will be billed.
On both islands, the luncheon and program will begin promptly at noon.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
PARTICIPANTS WANTED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT
Nov. 8, 2002 – Have an interest in the environment and an hour or two a week to spare for seven weeks? Are you a teacher or a community group activist? If so, the V.I. Marine Advisory Service at the University of the Virgin Islands wants you.
It is recruiting people to attend environmental justice workshops on St. Thomas. When the workshops end, participants will be expected to take what they've learned and put it to use setting up environmental programs in the community.
The project is "open to the ideas that they might have," UVI marine adviser Mayra Suárez-Vélez said of those who will take part.
Formally, the workshops are on the topic of Linking Virgin Islands Grassroots to Environmental Equity. They will cover such topics as water quality, local seafood consumption, coastal eco-systems and toxic metal accumulation.
If you'll commit to attend all seven workshop sessions, the Marine Advisory Service will pay you $500 for your efforts and give you $500 more to use in implementing your outreach program. Suárez-Vélez said the money might be used for such things as transporting students on field trips or printing the winning entry in a poster contest.
She is looking for commitment from 10 people to attend all seven of the workshops. Once she gets that, she said, the presentations will be opened up to another 10 people who don't necessarily have to be present for all of the sessions. The project is being funded by a Small Environmental Justice Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
To register, call Suárez-Vélez at 693-1392 by Dec. 15.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
It is recruiting people to attend environmental justice workshops on St. Thomas. When the workshops end, participants will be expected to take what they've learned and put it to use setting up environmental programs in the community.
The project is "open to the ideas that they might have," UVI marine adviser Mayra Suárez-Vélez said of those who will take part.
Formally, the workshops are on the topic of Linking Virgin Islands Grassroots to Environmental Equity. They will cover such topics as water quality, local seafood consumption, coastal eco-systems and toxic metal accumulation.
If you'll commit to attend all seven workshop sessions, the Marine Advisory Service will pay you $500 for your efforts and give you $500 more to use in implementing your outreach program. Suárez-Vélez said the money might be used for such things as transporting students on field trips or printing the winning entry in a poster contest.
She is looking for commitment from 10 people to attend all seven of the workshops. Once she gets that, she said, the presentations will be opened up to another 10 people who don't necessarily have to be present for all of the sessions. The project is being funded by a Small Environmental Justice Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
To register, call Suárez-Vélez at 693-1392 by Dec. 15.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
V.I. SAILOR GETS EXTRA LEAVE TO ENJOY HOME PORT
Nov. 8, 2002 – St. Thomas sailor Camile Haliday, who got a ride home last week aboard the Navy destroyer on which he serves, has spent the last week enjoying a liberty to remember.
The electronics engineer third class, his crewmates and officers got such a warm welcome when they pulled into Cruz Bay on board the USS Bulkeley that his commanding officer granted Haliday several days' extra leave. The ship pulled out on Sunday; he left by plane Thursday night to fly to Puerto Rico and rejoin his fellow crew members there.
Cynthia Farmer of the St. Thomas USO, which operates the hospitality center on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront for non-commissioner personnel such as Haliday, said the commanding officer "was so pleased by the warmth of the reception he received" that he gave the Virgin Islander an extra week off that, among other things, allowed him to celebrate his birthday at home with family and friends.
Farmer was on hand when the gesture was made last week in Red Hook during a special occasion when the Navy League presented the young Virgin Islander with a plaque for his service to the U.S. military.
"It's not that often anyone gets recognized by the military, because it's such a vast amount of people, the seven-year serviceman said of his honor.
His mother, Patrice Haliday, also was honored, with the presentation of the Mother's Cross, an old-time tradition from World Wars I and II. "It was the kind of thing mothers put in the window when their children were away in the service," Farmer said.
As Haliday spent his last afternoon at home before flying to San Juan to rejoin the Bulkeley, he recounted the memorable moments of his liberty call: the recognition party hosted by the Navy League, the four cakes his mom baked for his birthday on Monday, and being taken by his uncle to the Clinton E. Phipps racetrack in the rain.
But then there was also the three days he had to spend replacing things from a wallet he lost during his stay. It took that long to replace the missing military I.D., something he needed by Thursday night when he had to leave St. Thomas to fly to San Juan.
Farmer said the four-day leave enjoyed by the rest of the sailors and their officers was just as enjoyable. "They all said how well they were treated on St. John," she related. "One guy said he went into a bar and the patrons wouldn't let him buy himself a drink."
But when the leave ended, it was time to resume duty in a Navy taking on a wartime footing. The Bulkeley, commissioned last December in New York City and homported in Norfolk, Virginia, is a state-of-the-art guided missile destroyer fitted with special water and air purification systems to deal with bioterrorist attack. Its motto is "Freedom's Torch."
Patrice Haliday said the thought of war makes her worry. "I do, a lot, especially with what's going on in Afghanistan," she said. "But I also pray a lot."
Camile Haliday, on the other hand, said he is ready to put all fears aside and face whatever the future may hold. "Patriotism is always good," he said. "And with the events of the world, if anyone can't take it, that''s on them, but I can take it."
He added, "Anything my country wants me to do, I will."
That's not just brave patriotic talk. Haliday reenlisted for a second six-year stint last January. He hopes by the end of that time he will achieve the rank of Navy officer.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
The electronics engineer third class, his crewmates and officers got such a warm welcome when they pulled into Cruz Bay on board the USS Bulkeley that his commanding officer granted Haliday several days' extra leave. The ship pulled out on Sunday; he left by plane Thursday night to fly to Puerto Rico and rejoin his fellow crew members there.
Cynthia Farmer of the St. Thomas USO, which operates the hospitality center on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront for non-commissioner personnel such as Haliday, said the commanding officer "was so pleased by the warmth of the reception he received" that he gave the Virgin Islander an extra week off that, among other things, allowed him to celebrate his birthday at home with family and friends.
Farmer was on hand when the gesture was made last week in Red Hook during a special occasion when the Navy League presented the young Virgin Islander with a plaque for his service to the U.S. military.
"It's not that often anyone gets recognized by the military, because it's such a vast amount of people, the seven-year serviceman said of his honor.
His mother, Patrice Haliday, also was honored, with the presentation of the Mother's Cross, an old-time tradition from World Wars I and II. "It was the kind of thing mothers put in the window when their children were away in the service," Farmer said.
As Haliday spent his last afternoon at home before flying to San Juan to rejoin the Bulkeley, he recounted the memorable moments of his liberty call: the recognition party hosted by the Navy League, the four cakes his mom baked for his birthday on Monday, and being taken by his uncle to the Clinton E. Phipps racetrack in the rain.
But then there was also the three days he had to spend replacing things from a wallet he lost during his stay. It took that long to replace the missing military I.D., something he needed by Thursday night when he had to leave St. Thomas to fly to San Juan.
Farmer said the four-day leave enjoyed by the rest of the sailors and their officers was just as enjoyable. "They all said how well they were treated on St. John," she related. "One guy said he went into a bar and the patrons wouldn't let him buy himself a drink."
But when the leave ended, it was time to resume duty in a Navy taking on a wartime footing. The Bulkeley, commissioned last December in New York City and homported in Norfolk, Virginia, is a state-of-the-art guided missile destroyer fitted with special water and air purification systems to deal with bioterrorist attack. Its motto is "Freedom's Torch."
Patrice Haliday said the thought of war makes her worry. "I do, a lot, especially with what's going on in Afghanistan," she said. "But I also pray a lot."
Camile Haliday, on the other hand, said he is ready to put all fears aside and face whatever the future may hold. "Patriotism is always good," he said. "And with the events of the world, if anyone can't take it, that''s on them, but I can take it."
He added, "Anything my country wants me to do, I will."
That's not just brave patriotic talk. Haliday reenlisted for a second six-year stint last January. He hopes by the end of that time he will achieve the rank of Navy officer.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
V.I. SAILOR GETS EXTRA LEAVE TO ENJOY HOME PORT
Nov. 8, 2002 – St. Thomas sailor Camile Haliday, who got a ride home last week aboard the Navy destroyer on which he serves, has spent the last week enjoying a liberty to remember.
The electronics engineer third class, his crewmates and officers got such a warm welcome when they pulled into Cruz Bay on board the USS Bulkeley that his commanding officer granted Haliday several days' extra leave. The ship pulled out on Sunday; he left by plane Thursday night to fly to Puerto Rico and rejoin his fellow crew members there.
Cynthia Farmer of the St. Thomas USO, which operates the hospitality center on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront for non-commissioner personnel such as Haliday, said the commanding officer "was so pleased by the warmth of the reception he received" that he gave the Virgin Islander an extra week off that, among other things, allowed him to celebrate his birthday at home with family and friends.
Farmer was on hand when the gesture was made last week in Red Hook during a special occasion when the Navy League presented the young Virgin Islander with a plaque for his service to the U.S. military.
"It's not that often anyone gets recognized by the military, because it's such a vast amount of people, the seven-year serviceman said of his honor.
His mother, Patrice Haliday, also was honored, with the presentation of the Mother's Cross, an old-time tradition from World Wars I and II. "It was the kind of thing mothers put in the window when their children were away in the service," Farmer said.
As Haliday spent his last afternoon at home before flying to San Juan to rejoin the Bulkeley, he recounted the memorable moments of his liberty call: the recognition party hosted by the Navy League, the four cakes his mom baked for his birthday on Monday, and being taken by his uncle to the Clinton E. Phipps racetrack in the rain.
But then there was also the three days he had to spend replacing things from a wallet he lost during his stay. It took that long to replace the missing military I.D., something he needed by Thursday night when he had to leave St. Thomas to fly to San Juan.
Farmer said the four-day leave enjoyed by the rest of the sailors and their officers was just as enjoyable. "They all said how well they were treated on St. John," she related. "One guy said he went into a bar and the patrons wouldn't let him buy himself a drink."
But when the leave ended, it was time to resume duty in a Navy taking on a wartime footing. The Bulkeley, commissioned last December in New York City and homported in Norfolk, Virginia, is a state-of-the-art guided missile destroyer fitted with special water and air purification systems to deal with bioterrorist attack. Its motto is "Freedom's Torch."
Patrice Haliday said the thought of war makes her worry. "I do, a lot, especially with what's going on in Afghanistan," she said. "But I also pray a lot."
Camile Haliday, on the other hand, said he is ready to put all fears aside and face whatever the future may hold. "Patriotism is always good," he said. "And with the events of the world, if anyone can't take it, that''s on them, but I can take it."
He added, "Anything my country wants me to do, I will."
That's not just brave patriotic talk. Haliday reenlisted for a second six-year stint last January. He hopes by the end of that time he will achieve the rank of Navy officer.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
The electronics engineer third class, his crewmates and officers got such a warm welcome when they pulled into Cruz Bay on board the USS Bulkeley that his commanding officer granted Haliday several days' extra leave. The ship pulled out on Sunday; he left by plane Thursday night to fly to Puerto Rico and rejoin his fellow crew members there.
Cynthia Farmer of the St. Thomas USO, which operates the hospitality center on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront for non-commissioner personnel such as Haliday, said the commanding officer "was so pleased by the warmth of the reception he received" that he gave the Virgin Islander an extra week off that, among other things, allowed him to celebrate his birthday at home with family and friends.
Farmer was on hand when the gesture was made last week in Red Hook during a special occasion when the Navy League presented the young Virgin Islander with a plaque for his service to the U.S. military.
"It's not that often anyone gets recognized by the military, because it's such a vast amount of people, the seven-year serviceman said of his honor.
His mother, Patrice Haliday, also was honored, with the presentation of the Mother's Cross, an old-time tradition from World Wars I and II. "It was the kind of thing mothers put in the window when their children were away in the service," Farmer said.
As Haliday spent his last afternoon at home before flying to San Juan to rejoin the Bulkeley, he recounted the memorable moments of his liberty call: the recognition party hosted by the Navy League, the four cakes his mom baked for his birthday on Monday, and being taken by his uncle to the Clinton E. Phipps racetrack in the rain.
But then there was also the three days he had to spend replacing things from a wallet he lost during his stay. It took that long to replace the missing military I.D., something he needed by Thursday night when he had to leave St. Thomas to fly to San Juan.
Farmer said the four-day leave enjoyed by the rest of the sailors and their officers was just as enjoyable. "They all said how well they were treated on St. John," she related. "One guy said he went into a bar and the patrons wouldn't let him buy himself a drink."
But when the leave ended, it was time to resume duty in a Navy taking on a wartime footing. The Bulkeley, commissioned last December in New York City and homported in Norfolk, Virginia, is a state-of-the-art guided missile destroyer fitted with special water and air purification systems to deal with bioterrorist attack. Its motto is "Freedom's Torch."
Patrice Haliday said the thought of war makes her worry. "I do, a lot, especially with what's going on in Afghanistan," she said. "But I also pray a lot."
Camile Haliday, on the other hand, said he is ready to put all fears aside and face whatever the future may hold. "Patriotism is always good," he said. "And with the events of the world, if anyone can't take it, that''s on them, but I can take it."
He added, "Anything my country wants me to do, I will."
That's not just brave patriotic talk. Haliday reenlisted for a second six-year stint last January. He hopes by the end of that time he will achieve the rank of Navy officer.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
STRIKERS' PRESENCE SETS TONE, TOPICS OF HEARING
Nov 8, 2002 – In a heated hearing that lasted well into the night, lawmakers heard on Thursday from labor leaders, strikers, a teachers union representative, Economic Development Authority officers and the attorney general. Ultimately, they heard from Innovative Telephone, via a copy of its complaint filed in Territorial Court seeking an injunction telling the Senate committee to mind its own business.
(See "Court asked to halt Senate Innovative probes".)
That wasn't the only document the telephone company had in evidence at the 12-hour meeting of the Economic Development, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Committee chaired by Sen. Adelbert Bryan.
During the day, Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dean Plaskett, testifying in his capacity as EDA board chair, said he had received a request that morning from Innovative Telephone asking the EDA to waive its requirement that the company maintain an employment level of at least 421 workers. That number of personnel is one of the conditions of the company's continuing to enjoy extensive tax breaks granted five years ago by the Industrial Development Commission, now the Economic Development Commission.
Bryan and Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg maintained that Innovative officials asked for the waiver because they know that, even before the nearly six-week-old strike by some 310 Steelworkers Union employees, the company was in violation of its tax-exemption certificate.
The unionized workers, whose contract expired on Oct. 1, walked out the following day in a dispute mainly about pension benefits. That issue has since been resolved, both parties say, and the only apparent sticking point to agreeing on a new contract now is the fate of some 35 workers Innovative has hired to replace strikers.
Plaskett said the phone company's personnel level waiver request requires a public hearing. If the waiver were to be granted, Bryan asked, "then could ICC let go all the employees and replace them?" "Absolutely not," Plaskett replied. "ICC" refers to Innovative Communication Corp., the parent company of Innovative Telephone and various other V.I. public utility and business holdings.
The telephone company has been running employment advertisements, and Innovative officials say the new hires are permanent, not temporary, employees. Officials of the striking workers' union, the United Steelworkers of America, say all strikers must be returned to their jobs once the job action ends.
More than a hundred of those union members sat in the Senate chambers on Thursday, most of them from about 10:30 a.m. until 10:15 p.m., hoping to learn their fate in the labor dispute. Although, as Innovative's complaint filed in court pointed out, the Legislature is not the venue for resolving such disputes, the workers' side of the matter was thoroughly aired at the hearing.
Attorney General Iver Stridiron told the senators repeatedly throughout the meeting that the strike is between a private company and its employees, and the government has no right to step into the dispute. He noted that the president of the United States has on rare occasions, such as the recent West Coast dock strike, stepped into labor affairs. The V.I. government doesn't have that authority, Stridiron stressed.
Sen. Carlton Dowe said, however, "We must find a way to intervene. We need a cooling-off period, and the government needs to find a way to step in." Stridiron said the only way that could happen would be if the Legislature were to authorize the governor to order the sides to reach an agreement.
Senators' remarks throughout the day in support of the workers' cause were met with praise from the partisan observers, and anything that wasn't going their way triggered moans and groans. Playing before his audience, Bryan on several occasions urged the union members to demand their rights. "Do you have a savings plan?" he asked. "A stock ownership plan?" The workers replied with loud "no's."
The committee had subpoenaed representatives from Innovative Telephone and ICC, but only ICC's vice president for legal affairs, J'Ada Finch-Sheen, showed up. Under questioning about the phone company's EDC benefits, she told the senators that since Innovative is her client, she is bound by client-attorney confidentiality.
Sen. Roosevelt David asked Finch-Sheen if there was hope of talks between the union and the company resuming anytime soon. After a pause, she said, "I cannot speak for the company on that issue."
After a brief break around 8 p.m., the next two hours of the meeting were dedicated to the workers airing their complaints. American Federation of Teachers representative Terrence Joseph expressed sympathy for the strikers and detailed the travails his union had experienced at the bargaining table.
No member of the committee moved to take Stridiron up on the idea of authorizing the governor to intervene in the dispute.
Donastorg and Bryan clashed several times on ICC matters. Donastorg is suing the phone company for defamation of character over its extensive investigation into his life and that of associates, and ICC is countersuing. Bryan grew impatient with Donastorg's recital of his troubles with ICC, which in large part have led to the current investigation of Innovative's benefits. At one point, while Donastorg was commenting on his court case, Bryan turned off Donastorg's microphone. Donastorg promptly walked out of the hearing, not to return.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
(See "Court asked to halt Senate Innovative probes".)
That wasn't the only document the telephone company had in evidence at the 12-hour meeting of the Economic Development, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Committee chaired by Sen. Adelbert Bryan.
During the day, Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dean Plaskett, testifying in his capacity as EDA board chair, said he had received a request that morning from Innovative Telephone asking the EDA to waive its requirement that the company maintain an employment level of at least 421 workers. That number of personnel is one of the conditions of the company's continuing to enjoy extensive tax breaks granted five years ago by the Industrial Development Commission, now the Economic Development Commission.
Bryan and Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg maintained that Innovative officials asked for the waiver because they know that, even before the nearly six-week-old strike by some 310 Steelworkers Union employees, the company was in violation of its tax-exemption certificate.
The unionized workers, whose contract expired on Oct. 1, walked out the following day in a dispute mainly about pension benefits. That issue has since been resolved, both parties say, and the only apparent sticking point to agreeing on a new contract now is the fate of some 35 workers Innovative has hired to replace strikers.
Plaskett said the phone company's personnel level waiver request requires a public hearing. If the waiver were to be granted, Bryan asked, "then could ICC let go all the employees and replace them?" "Absolutely not," Plaskett replied. "ICC" refers to Innovative Communication Corp., the parent company of Innovative Telephone and various other V.I. public utility and business holdings.
The telephone company has been running employment advertisements, and Innovative officials say the new hires are permanent, not temporary, employees. Officials of the striking workers' union, the United Steelworkers of America, say all strikers must be returned to their jobs once the job action ends.
More than a hundred of those union members sat in the Senate chambers on Thursday, most of them from about 10:30 a.m. until 10:15 p.m., hoping to learn their fate in the labor dispute. Although, as Innovative's complaint filed in court pointed out, the Legislature is not the venue for resolving such disputes, the workers' side of the matter was thoroughly aired at the hearing.
Attorney General Iver Stridiron told the senators repeatedly throughout the meeting that the strike is between a private company and its employees, and the government has no right to step into the dispute. He noted that the president of the United States has on rare occasions, such as the recent West Coast dock strike, stepped into labor affairs. The V.I. government doesn't have that authority, Stridiron stressed.
Sen. Carlton Dowe said, however, "We must find a way to intervene. We need a cooling-off period, and the government needs to find a way to step in." Stridiron said the only way that could happen would be if the Legislature were to authorize the governor to order the sides to reach an agreement.
Senators' remarks throughout the day in support of the workers' cause were met with praise from the partisan observers, and anything that wasn't going their way triggered moans and groans. Playing before his audience, Bryan on several occasions urged the union members to demand their rights. "Do you have a savings plan?" he asked. "A stock ownership plan?" The workers replied with loud "no's."
The committee had subpoenaed representatives from Innovative Telephone and ICC, but only ICC's vice president for legal affairs, J'Ada Finch-Sheen, showed up. Under questioning about the phone company's EDC benefits, she told the senators that since Innovative is her client, she is bound by client-attorney confidentiality.
Sen. Roosevelt David asked Finch-Sheen if there was hope of talks between the union and the company resuming anytime soon. After a pause, she said, "I cannot speak for the company on that issue."
After a brief break around 8 p.m., the next two hours of the meeting were dedicated to the workers airing their complaints. American Federation of Teachers representative Terrence Joseph expressed sympathy for the strikers and detailed the travails his union had experienced at the bargaining table.
No member of the committee moved to take Stridiron up on the idea of authorizing the governor to intervene in the dispute.
Donastorg and Bryan clashed several times on ICC matters. Donastorg is suing the phone company for defamation of character over its extensive investigation into his life and that of associates, and ICC is countersuing. Bryan grew impatient with Donastorg's recital of his troubles with ICC, which in large part have led to the current investigation of Innovative's benefits. At one point, while Donastorg was commenting on his court case, Bryan turned off Donastorg's microphone. Donastorg promptly walked out of the hearing, not to return.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
STRIKERS' PRESENCE SETS TONE, TOPICS OF HEARING
Nov 8, 2002 – In a heated hearing that lasted well into the night, lawmakers heard on Thursday from labor leaders, strikers, a teachers union representative, Economic Development Authority officers and the attorney general. Ultimately, they heard from Innovative Telephone, via a copy of its complaint filed in Territorial Court seeking an injunction telling the Senate committee to mind its own business.
(See "Court asked to halt Senate Innovative probes".)
That wasn't the only document the telephone company had in evidence at the 12-hour meeting of the Economic Development, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Committee chaired by Sen. Adelbert Bryan.
During the day, Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dean Plaskett, testifying in his capacity as EDA board chair, said he had received a request that morning from Innovative Telephone asking the EDA to waive its requirement that the company maintain an employment level of at least 421 workers. That number of personnel is one of the conditions of the company's continuing to enjoy extensive tax breaks granted five years ago by the Industrial Development Commission, now the Economic Development Commission.
Bryan and Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg maintained that Innovative officials asked for the waiver because they know that, even before the nearly six-week-old strike by some 310 Steelworkers Union employees, the company was in violation of its tax-exemption certificate.
The unionized workers, whose contract expired on Oct. 1, walked out the following day in a dispute mainly about pension benefits. That issue has since been resolved, both parties say, and the only apparent sticking point to agreeing on a new contract now is the fate of some 35 workers Innovative has hired to replace strikers.
Plaskett said the phone company's personnel level waiver request requires a public hearing. If the waiver were to be granted, Bryan asked, "then could ICC let go all the employees and replace them?" "Absolutely not," Plaskett replied. "ICC" refers to Innovative Communication Corp., the parent company of Innovative Telephone and various other V.I. public utility and business holdings.
The telephone company has been running employment advertisements, and Innovative officials say the new hires are permanent, not temporary, employees. Officials of the striking workers' union, the United Steelworkers of America, say all strikers must be returned to their jobs once the job action ends.
More than a hundred of those union members sat in the Senate chambers on Thursday, most of them from about 10:30 a.m. until 10:15 p.m., hoping to learn their fate in the labor dispute. Although, as Innovative's complaint filed in court pointed out, the Legislature is not the venue for resolving such disputes, the workers' side of the matter was thoroughly aired at the hearing.
Attorney General Iver Stridiron told the senators repeatedly throughout the meeting that the strike is between a private company and its employees, and the government has no right to step into the dispute. He noted that the president of the United States has on rare occasions, such as the recent West Coast dock strike, stepped into labor affairs. The V.I. government doesn't have that authority, Stridiron stressed.
Sen. Carlton Dowe said, however, "We must find a way to intervene. We need a cooling-off period, and the government needs to find a way to step in." Stridiron said the only way that could happen would be if the Legislature were to authorize the governor to order the sides to reach an agreement.
Senators' remarks throughout the day in support of the workers' cause were met with praise from the partisan observers, and anything that wasn't going their way triggered moans and groans. Playing before his audience, Bryan on several occasions urged the union members to demand their rights. "Do you have a savings plan?" he asked. "A stock ownership plan?" The workers replied with loud "no's."
The committee had subpoenaed representatives from Innovative Telephone and ICC, but only ICC's vice president for legal affairs, J'Ada Finch-Sheen, showed up. Under questioning about the phone company's EDC benefits, she told the senators that since Innovative is her client, she is bound by client-attorney confidentiality.
Sen. Roosevelt David asked Finch-Sheen if there was hope of talks between the union and the company resuming anytime soon. After a pause, she said, "I cannot speak for the company on that issue."
After a brief break around 8 p.m., the next two hours of the meeting were dedicated to the workers airing their complaints. American Federation of Teachers representative Terrence Joseph expressed sympathy for the strikers and detailed the travails his union had experienced at the bargaining table.
No member of the committee moved to take Stridiron up on the idea of authorizing the governor to intervene in the dispute.
Donastorg and Bryan clashed several times on ICC matters. Donastorg is suing the phone company for defamation of character over its extensive investigation into his life and that of associates, and ICC is countersuing. Bryan grew impatient with Donastorg's recital of his troubles with ICC, which in large part have led to the current investigation of Innovative's benefits. At one point, while Donastorg was commenting on his court case, Bryan turned off Donastorg's microphone. Donastorg promptly walked out of the hearing, not to return.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
(See "Court asked to halt Senate Innovative probes".)
That wasn't the only document the telephone company had in evidence at the 12-hour meeting of the Economic Development, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Committee chaired by Sen. Adelbert Bryan.
During the day, Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dean Plaskett, testifying in his capacity as EDA board chair, said he had received a request that morning from Innovative Telephone asking the EDA to waive its requirement that the company maintain an employment level of at least 421 workers. That number of personnel is one of the conditions of the company's continuing to enjoy extensive tax breaks granted five years ago by the Industrial Development Commission, now the Economic Development Commission.
Bryan and Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg maintained that Innovative officials asked for the waiver because they know that, even before the nearly six-week-old strike by some 310 Steelworkers Union employees, the company was in violation of its tax-exemption certificate.
The unionized workers, whose contract expired on Oct. 1, walked out the following day in a dispute mainly about pension benefits. That issue has since been resolved, both parties say, and the only apparent sticking point to agreeing on a new contract now is the fate of some 35 workers Innovative has hired to replace strikers.
Plaskett said the phone company's personnel level waiver request requires a public hearing. If the waiver were to be granted, Bryan asked, "then could ICC let go all the employees and replace them?" "Absolutely not," Plaskett replied. "ICC" refers to Innovative Communication Corp., the parent company of Innovative Telephone and various other V.I. public utility and business holdings.
The telephone company has been running employment advertisements, and Innovative officials say the new hires are permanent, not temporary, employees. Officials of the striking workers' union, the United Steelworkers of America, say all strikers must be returned to their jobs once the job action ends.
More than a hundred of those union members sat in the Senate chambers on Thursday, most of them from about 10:30 a.m. until 10:15 p.m., hoping to learn their fate in the labor dispute. Although, as Innovative's complaint filed in court pointed out, the Legislature is not the venue for resolving such disputes, the workers' side of the matter was thoroughly aired at the hearing.
Attorney General Iver Stridiron told the senators repeatedly throughout the meeting that the strike is between a private company and its employees, and the government has no right to step into the dispute. He noted that the president of the United States has on rare occasions, such as the recent West Coast dock strike, stepped into labor affairs. The V.I. government doesn't have that authority, Stridiron stressed.
Sen. Carlton Dowe said, however, "We must find a way to intervene. We need a cooling-off period, and the government needs to find a way to step in." Stridiron said the only way that could happen would be if the Legislature were to authorize the governor to order the sides to reach an agreement.
Senators' remarks throughout the day in support of the workers' cause were met with praise from the partisan observers, and anything that wasn't going their way triggered moans and groans. Playing before his audience, Bryan on several occasions urged the union members to demand their rights. "Do you have a savings plan?" he asked. "A stock ownership plan?" The workers replied with loud "no's."
The committee had subpoenaed representatives from Innovative Telephone and ICC, but only ICC's vice president for legal affairs, J'Ada Finch-Sheen, showed up. Under questioning about the phone company's EDC benefits, she told the senators that since Innovative is her client, she is bound by client-attorney confidentiality.
Sen. Roosevelt David asked Finch-Sheen if there was hope of talks between the union and the company resuming anytime soon. After a pause, she said, "I cannot speak for the company on that issue."
After a brief break around 8 p.m., the next two hours of the meeting were dedicated to the workers airing their complaints. American Federation of Teachers representative Terrence Joseph expressed sympathy for the strikers and detailed the travails his union had experienced at the bargaining table.
No member of the committee moved to take Stridiron up on the idea of authorizing the governor to intervene in the dispute.
Donastorg and Bryan clashed several times on ICC matters. Donastorg is suing the phone company for defamation of character over its extensive investigation into his life and that of associates, and ICC is countersuing. Bryan grew impatient with Donastorg's recital of his troubles with ICC, which in large part have led to the current investigation of Innovative's benefits. At one point, while Donastorg was commenting on his court case, Bryan turned off Donastorg's microphone. Donastorg promptly walked out of the hearing, not to return.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
STRIKERS' PRESENCE SETS TONE, TOPICS OF HEARING
Nov 8, 2002 – In a heated hearing that lasted well into the night, lawmakers heard on Thursday from labor leaders, strikers, a teachers union representative, Economic Development Authority officers and the attorney general. Ultimately, they heard from Innovative Telephone, via a copy of its complaint filed in Territorial Court seeking an injunction telling the Senate committee to mind its own business.
(See "Court asked to halt Senate Innovative probes".)
That wasn't the only document the telephone company had in evidence at the 12-hour meeting of the Economic Development, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Committee chaired by Sen. Adelbert Bryan.
During the day, Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dean Plaskett, testifying in his capacity as EDA board chair, said he had received a request that morning from Innovative Telephone asking the EDA to waive its requirement that the company maintain an employment level of at least 421 workers. That number of personnel is one of the conditions of the company's continuing to enjoy extensive tax breaks granted five years ago by the Industrial Development Commission, now the Economic Development Commission.
Bryan and Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg maintained that Innovative officials asked for the waiver because they know that, even before the nearly six-week-old strike by some 310 Steelworkers Union employees, the company was in violation of its tax-exemption certificate.
The unionized workers, whose contract expired on Oct. 1, walked out the following day in a dispute mainly about pension benefits. That issue has since been resolved, both parties say, and the only apparent sticking point to agreeing on a new contract now is the fate of some 35 workers Innovative has hired to replace strikers.
Plaskett said the phone company's personnel level waiver request requires a public hearing. If the waiver were to be granted, Bryan asked, "then could ICC let go all the employees and replace them?" "Absolutely not," Plaskett replied. "ICC" refers to Innovative Communication Corp., the parent company of Innovative Telephone and various other V.I. public utility and business holdings.
The telephone company has been running employment advertisements, and Innovative officials say the new hires are permanent, not temporary, employees. Officials of the striking workers' union, the United Steelworkers of America, say all strikers must be returned to their jobs once the job action ends.
More than a hundred of those union members sat in the Senate chambers on Thursday, most of them from about 10:30 a.m. until 10:15 p.m., hoping to learn their fate in the labor dispute. Although, as Innovative's complaint filed in court pointed out, the Legislature is not the venue for resolving such disputes, the workers' side of the matter was thoroughly aired at the hearing.
Attorney General Iver Stridiron told the senators repeatedly throughout the meeting that the strike is between a private company and its employees, and the government has no right to step into the dispute. He noted that the president of the United States has on rare occasions, such as the recent West Coast dock strike, stepped into labor affairs. The V.I. government doesn't have that authority, Stridiron stressed.
Sen. Carlton Dowe said, however, "We must find a way to intervene. We need a cooling-off period, and the government needs to find a way to step in." Stridiron said the only way that could happen would be if the Legislature were to authorize the governor to order the sides to reach an agreement.
Senators' remarks throughout the day in support of the workers' cause were met with praise from the partisan observers, and anything that wasn't going their way triggered moans and groans. Playing before his audience, Bryan on several occasions urged the union members to demand their rights. "Do you have a savings plan?" he asked. "A stock ownership plan?" The workers replied with loud "no's."
The committee had subpoenaed representatives from Innovative Telephone and ICC, but only ICC's vice president for legal affairs, J'Ada Finch-Sheen, showed up. Under questioning about the phone company's EDC benefits, she told the senators that since Innovative is her client, she is bound by client-attorney confidentiality.
Sen. Roosevelt David asked Finch-Sheen if there was hope of talks between the union and the company resuming anytime soon. After a pause, she said, "I cannot speak for the company on that issue."
After a brief break around 8 p.m., the next two hours of the meeting were dedicated to the workers airing their complaints. American Federation of Teachers representative Terrence Joseph expressed sympathy for the strikers and detailed the travails his union had experienced at the bargaining table.
No member of the committee moved to take Stridiron up on the idea of authorizing the governor to intervene in the dispute.
Donastorg and Bryan clashed several times on ICC matters. Donastorg is suing the phone company for defamation of character over its extensive investigation into his life and that of associates, and ICC is countersuing. Bryan grew impatient with Donastorg's recital of his troubles with ICC, which in large part have led to the current investigation of Innovative's benefits. At one point, while Donastorg was commenting on his court case, Bryan turned off Donastorg's microphone. Donastorg promptly walked out of the hearing, not to return.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
(See "Court asked to halt Senate Innovative probes".)
That wasn't the only document the telephone company had in evidence at the 12-hour meeting of the Economic Development, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Committee chaired by Sen. Adelbert Bryan.
During the day, Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dean Plaskett, testifying in his capacity as EDA board chair, said he had received a request that morning from Innovative Telephone asking the EDA to waive its requirement that the company maintain an employment level of at least 421 workers. That number of personnel is one of the conditions of the company's continuing to enjoy extensive tax breaks granted five years ago by the Industrial Development Commission, now the Economic Development Commission.
Bryan and Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg maintained that Innovative officials asked for the waiver because they know that, even before the nearly six-week-old strike by some 310 Steelworkers Union employees, the company was in violation of its tax-exemption certificate.
The unionized workers, whose contract expired on Oct. 1, walked out the following day in a dispute mainly about pension benefits. That issue has since been resolved, both parties say, and the only apparent sticking point to agreeing on a new contract now is the fate of some 35 workers Innovative has hired to replace strikers.
Plaskett said the phone company's personnel level waiver request requires a public hearing. If the waiver were to be granted, Bryan asked, "then could ICC let go all the employees and replace them?" "Absolutely not," Plaskett replied. "ICC" refers to Innovative Communication Corp., the parent company of Innovative Telephone and various other V.I. public utility and business holdings.
The telephone company has been running employment advertisements, and Innovative officials say the new hires are permanent, not temporary, employees. Officials of the striking workers' union, the United Steelworkers of America, say all strikers must be returned to their jobs once the job action ends.
More than a hundred of those union members sat in the Senate chambers on Thursday, most of them from about 10:30 a.m. until 10:15 p.m., hoping to learn their fate in the labor dispute. Although, as Innovative's complaint filed in court pointed out, the Legislature is not the venue for resolving such disputes, the workers' side of the matter was thoroughly aired at the hearing.
Attorney General Iver Stridiron told the senators repeatedly throughout the meeting that the strike is between a private company and its employees, and the government has no right to step into the dispute. He noted that the president of the United States has on rare occasions, such as the recent West Coast dock strike, stepped into labor affairs. The V.I. government doesn't have that authority, Stridiron stressed.
Sen. Carlton Dowe said, however, "We must find a way to intervene. We need a cooling-off period, and the government needs to find a way to step in." Stridiron said the only way that could happen would be if the Legislature were to authorize the governor to order the sides to reach an agreement.
Senators' remarks throughout the day in support of the workers' cause were met with praise from the partisan observers, and anything that wasn't going their way triggered moans and groans. Playing before his audience, Bryan on several occasions urged the union members to demand their rights. "Do you have a savings plan?" he asked. "A stock ownership plan?" The workers replied with loud "no's."
The committee had subpoenaed representatives from Innovative Telephone and ICC, but only ICC's vice president for legal affairs, J'Ada Finch-Sheen, showed up. Under questioning about the phone company's EDC benefits, she told the senators that since Innovative is her client, she is bound by client-attorney confidentiality.
Sen. Roosevelt David asked Finch-Sheen if there was hope of talks between the union and the company resuming anytime soon. After a pause, she said, "I cannot speak for the company on that issue."
After a brief break around 8 p.m., the next two hours of the meeting were dedicated to the workers airing their complaints. American Federation of Teachers representative Terrence Joseph expressed sympathy for the strikers and detailed the travails his union had experienced at the bargaining table.
No member of the committee moved to take Stridiron up on the idea of authorizing the governor to intervene in the dispute.
Donastorg and Bryan clashed several times on ICC matters. Donastorg is suing the phone company for defamation of character over its extensive investigation into his life and that of associates, and ICC is countersuing. Bryan grew impatient with Donastorg's recital of his troubles with ICC, which in large part have led to the current investigation of Innovative's benefits. At one point, while Donastorg was commenting on his court case, Bryan turned off Donastorg's microphone. Donastorg promptly walked out of the hearing, not to return.
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FELONY GUN CONVICTION NETS EX-COP 13 DAYS IN JAIL
Nov. 7, 2002 – A former St. Croix policeman began serving 13 days in jail this week after Territorial Court Judge Edgar Ross imposed that sentence for a felony conviction last month on weapons charges and violation of a restraining order.
Johnson Lake, 30, a V.I. Housing Authority officer for six years, got three years in jail on a charge of unauthorized discharge of a firearm and another 180 days behind bars for violating the restraining order. But on both sentences, which run concurrently, Ross suspended all but 45 days of the incarceration time — with the 45 days to include the 32 days he had already served.
Lake's Oct. 3 conviction stemmed from a domestic violence incident last May 12, in which he fired shots into the air after an argument with his wife, Melissa Lake. Prosecutors added the contempt of court charge because Lake also violated an existing restraining order.
According to The Avis, Lake pleaded for the court's mercy at his sentencing hearing on Monday, arguing that his wife and children were suffering in his absence. Assistant Attorney General Tadia Kelly contended that Lake was remorseless for his crime and asked Ross to sentence him to a much longer jail term.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
Johnson Lake, 30, a V.I. Housing Authority officer for six years, got three years in jail on a charge of unauthorized discharge of a firearm and another 180 days behind bars for violating the restraining order. But on both sentences, which run concurrently, Ross suspended all but 45 days of the incarceration time — with the 45 days to include the 32 days he had already served.
Lake's Oct. 3 conviction stemmed from a domestic violence incident last May 12, in which he fired shots into the air after an argument with his wife, Melissa Lake. Prosecutors added the contempt of court charge because Lake also violated an existing restraining order.
According to The Avis, Lake pleaded for the court's mercy at his sentencing hearing on Monday, arguing that his wife and children were suffering in his absence. Assistant Attorney General Tadia Kelly contended that Lake was remorseless for his crime and asked Ross to sentence him to a much longer jail term.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
COURT ASKED TO HALT SENATE INNOVATIVE PROBES
Nov. 7, 2002 – As a Senate committee hearing on the ongoing strike against Innovative Telephone/Cable-TV raged into the night on St. Thomas Thursday, attorneys for the telephone company filed an eight-page complaint against the Legislature in Territorial Court on St. Croix.
The complaint asks the court for "injunctive and declaratory relief" from the committee's continuing probes into both the contract negotiations impasse and Innovative Telephone's tax benefits status on grounds that the Legislature has no authority to act in either case.
The labor-management issue falls under federal mediation law, Innovative said, and the workings of the Economic Development Commission fall under the executive branch of the local government.
The complaint alleges that the Economic Development, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Committee, chaired by Sen. Adelbert Bryan, and its members violated federal law by interfering in the labor dispute "using threats against Innovative's tax certificates to force Innovative's settlement of a pending labor dispute. . ."
The complaint said an Oct. 18 press release issued by Bryan called for two "emergency meetings" to investigate the circumstances surrounding the strike in response to a letter Bryan had received from a union member.
The release, according to the complaint, gave no other reason for the hearing, but Bryan later tried to make it appear as if the meeting was solely about the Innovative Telephone's Economic Development Commission tax benefits.
Innovative said the effort failed, though, because an EDC official pointed out during the Oct. 31 hearing that only three complaints had been filed against Innovative, and all in recent weeks. She also said she was not at liberty to discuss an ongoing compliance investigation into Innovative's operations.
"The hearing continued for several hours — with further discussions about the labor dispute and ways in which the EDC tax certificate was involved in the labor dispute," the complaint said.
Innovative officials declined to appear for that meeting, and the committee members voted to subpoena them for the follow-up hearing Thursday on St. Thomas which prompted the company to file the complaint.
"The committee is engaged in wholesale interference with the labor dispute process" in violation of the National Labor Management Relations Act, the complaint says, "and without a declaratory judgment of this court, Innovative will continue to have its rights under the NLRA violated."
It also said that without a court injunction, the Legislature will continue to hold "sham" proceedings interfering with the dispute. Samuel Ebbesen, Innovative Telephone president, was subpoenaed but did not appear at the Thursday meeting.
Even before the Oct. 31 hearing, Innovative contends, various senators and Labor Department officials tried to use the pending committee meetings as "leverage" to force a resolution of the strike, which began Oct. 2. Senators reportedly held a series of conferences with the parties, to no avail.
Another charge in the complaint is that the Senate breached separation of powers by involving itself in the EDC's "confidential investigation of compliance with tax certificates." The agency falls under the executive branch and the Legislature has no authority to get involved, it said.
In 1997, Innovative was granted full exemption from property, gross receipts and excise taxes and 90 percent exemption from corporate income taxes in a controversial move of the Schneider administration. The tax exemption certificate was granted on June 30, 1997, and will expire on Sept. 30, 2003.
The company's 412 telephone and cable TV employees went on strike Oct. 2 over a dispute that centers on pensions and other benefits. Attempts two weeks ago by federal mediators to end an impasse in the contract talks failed.
At Thursday's hearing, Sen. Vargrave Richards, the territory's apparent lieutenant governor-elect, said he has discussed the matter with Gov. Charles W. Turnbull and has asked the governor to try to assist the parties to come to terms.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
The complaint asks the court for "injunctive and declaratory relief" from the committee's continuing probes into both the contract negotiations impasse and Innovative Telephone's tax benefits status on grounds that the Legislature has no authority to act in either case.
The labor-management issue falls under federal mediation law, Innovative said, and the workings of the Economic Development Commission fall under the executive branch of the local government.
The complaint alleges that the Economic Development, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Committee, chaired by Sen. Adelbert Bryan, and its members violated federal law by interfering in the labor dispute "using threats against Innovative's tax certificates to force Innovative's settlement of a pending labor dispute. . ."
The complaint said an Oct. 18 press release issued by Bryan called for two "emergency meetings" to investigate the circumstances surrounding the strike in response to a letter Bryan had received from a union member.
The release, according to the complaint, gave no other reason for the hearing, but Bryan later tried to make it appear as if the meeting was solely about the Innovative Telephone's Economic Development Commission tax benefits.
Innovative said the effort failed, though, because an EDC official pointed out during the Oct. 31 hearing that only three complaints had been filed against Innovative, and all in recent weeks. She also said she was not at liberty to discuss an ongoing compliance investigation into Innovative's operations.
"The hearing continued for several hours — with further discussions about the labor dispute and ways in which the EDC tax certificate was involved in the labor dispute," the complaint said.
Innovative officials declined to appear for that meeting, and the committee members voted to subpoena them for the follow-up hearing Thursday on St. Thomas which prompted the company to file the complaint.
"The committee is engaged in wholesale interference with the labor dispute process" in violation of the National Labor Management Relations Act, the complaint says, "and without a declaratory judgment of this court, Innovative will continue to have its rights under the NLRA violated."
It also said that without a court injunction, the Legislature will continue to hold "sham" proceedings interfering with the dispute. Samuel Ebbesen, Innovative Telephone president, was subpoenaed but did not appear at the Thursday meeting.
Even before the Oct. 31 hearing, Innovative contends, various senators and Labor Department officials tried to use the pending committee meetings as "leverage" to force a resolution of the strike, which began Oct. 2. Senators reportedly held a series of conferences with the parties, to no avail.
Another charge in the complaint is that the Senate breached separation of powers by involving itself in the EDC's "confidential investigation of compliance with tax certificates." The agency falls under the executive branch and the Legislature has no authority to get involved, it said.
In 1997, Innovative was granted full exemption from property, gross receipts and excise taxes and 90 percent exemption from corporate income taxes in a controversial move of the Schneider administration. The tax exemption certificate was granted on June 30, 1997, and will expire on Sept. 30, 2003.
The company's 412 telephone and cable TV employees went on strike Oct. 2 over a dispute that centers on pensions and other benefits. Attempts two weeks ago by federal mediators to end an impasse in the contract talks failed.
At Thursday's hearing, Sen. Vargrave Richards, the territory's apparent lieutenant governor-elect, said he has discussed the matter with Gov. Charles W. Turnbull and has asked the governor to try to assist the parties to come to terms.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
