The management of the West Indian Co. and the Police Benevolent Association have reached agreement that the union members will no longer protest on or around Havensight Mall and the WICO dock.
The agreement reached Monday averted a court hearing on WICO's request for a permanent injunction against the PBA and its St. Croix chapter president, Naomi Joseph. The settlement, while barring the union and any of its members from protesting on the WICO property, represents "only a change in venue," according to Joseph.
"WICO had a stronger case than we did," she said. "It's now up to the union to move its march and rallies to Main Street." A march on July 19 by the PBA led WICO to close its front gates and escort arriving cruise ship passengers through an inner gate alongside the dock, away from the protesting police officers.
WICO president Edward E. Thomas sought the court's intervention when Joseph threatened to hold a protest at the dock with what she termed "a boatload of officers from St. Croix." Territorial Court Judge Ishmael Meyers, who accepted the terms of the out-of-court settlement, had issued a temporary restraining order stating that the WICO cruise ship facilities were not a "public forum" for such a protest.
For about a month, a coalition of workers in several public safety agencies, led by the PBA chapters of St. Thomas-St. John and St. Croix, has been protesting on St. Thomas and St. Croix over low wages, poor working conditions and the lack of information from the administration as to when it will implement already negotiated salary increases for its members.
