Loss of alien workers to impair CUC Saipan, Rota

The potential loss of nonresident workers at the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. beginning this weekend would significantly hurt Saipan operations, according to CUC executive director Lorraine A. Babauta yesterday.

She noted that CUC Saipan currently employs nonresidents as accounting officer (1), information technology analyst (1), engineers (3), trades technician (3), including one for CUC’s Geological Survey Well Drilling section and two for power generation as power plant mechanics.

She said there are other manpower-hired nonresident workers at CUC Power Generation.

“Saipan operations would be hurt significantly. …Without manpower workers and the nonresident trades technicians at Power Generation, we would have serious problems. Not only do they have skills sets that CUC needs, they provide the on-the-job training needed by less experienced employees,” said Babauta.

There were a total of 11 nonresident workers at CUC at the start of fiscal year 2005. In FY 2004, Babauta said there were 12 nonresident workers.

This number, she said, is a big decline from previous fiscal years where CUC had 20 or more nonresident workers.

The CUC official said that all that CUC is asking the Legislature is to be allowed to have 10 nonresident workers “for all three islands” and to be able to contract with a staffing company for personnel at Power Generation.

CUC is currently under a state of emergency in view of the ongoing power crisis.

Babauta said CUC is fully aware of the local preference law. “If a U.S. citizen or resident is found [who] qualifies for a position currently held by a nonresident, the U.S. citizen must be hired,” she said.

Meantime, Babauta said that S.B. 14-98, which passed the Senate last week, should have included CUC offices on all three islands.

S.B. 14-98 aims to grant only CUC Rota and Tinian an extension to hire nonresidents until Sept. 30, 2007.

“CUC is one corporation. CUC views the entire Commonwealth as one. All islands are treated the same. …The legislative proposal should be for all islands,” she said.

Babauta said that there are currently no nonresidents working at CUC Tinian.

On Rota, she said “operations would be hurt.” She said there are 13 staff at Rota’s Power Generation, including two nonresident workers. These nonresidents, she said, provide on-the-job training for the resident employees.

“And if they leave, there may not be a ready pool of potential replacements [who] can provide continued training for the residents,” Babauta said.

The Legislature has only up to this Friday to remedy the situation. S.B. 14-98 is now referred to the lower chamber. There is no set schedule yet for the House session this week. Its session Tuesday was canceled “until further notice.”

As it is, Babauta said yesterday, “There is no guarantee that CUC would be able to employ nonresident workers after Sept. 30.”