He said CUC is an equal opportunity employer with a professionally staffed human resources office.
“I have not witnessed or heard about any influences in hiring nor do I believe we would entertain such things,” Fletcher said when asked about political influences in hiring of new personnel.
On Aug. 30, CUC human resource manager Frankie Cepeda said they were no longer accepting applications for most of the 35 job openings.
The closing date for the other positions, like the contracting officer and senior specialist, remains open until they are filled, he said.
Before the closing date of the JVAs, Cepeda said they received about 270 applications for various positions.
Fletcher said the CNMI, Saipan specifically, is a small community, so any applicant is bound to know or be related to someone at CUC or the central government.
“In addition, please recall that CUC is an autonomous agency from the central government, so the chance of there being any ‘political’ influence is negligible,” he added.
When asked if CUC’s exemption from austerity Fridays and unpaid holidays makes it attractive to many applicants, Fletcher said CUC has long been a sought-after employer.
“Does the current unemployment rate increase that desire to work here? Well, my guess is it does. We have been very fortunate in that we have been able to maintain our full workweeks and benefits,” he said.
CUC, he added, has a slightly different mission than others.
“We need to deliver solid power, water, and wastewater services every day, 24 hours a day,” he said.
CUC also has to make “sacrifices,” he added.
“Our employees do not receive overtime pay, instead they receive an equivalent amount of compensatory-time off and we have also forgone many extra parts and supplies due to cash shortfalls,” he said
Fletcher noted that those linemen working in the middle of the night or a water crew out on the weekend fixing a broken water pipe do not always have the equipment they need.
But, he said, it is through their dedication and know-how that they are able to patch things together.
