Aug. 23, 2002 – Testing for federal Transportation Security Administration screener jobs began Wednesday on St. Croix, said Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen in a news release.
The tests are being given at the Buccaneer Hotel and will continue until the TSA has filled the jobs at Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix.
Testing began about three weeks ago at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort and Spa on St. Thomas. "We need a lot of people for St. Thomas and St. Croix," a tester said.
For persons who are interested but haven't yet applied for one of 140 baggage and passenger screeners in St. Croix and 130 jobs in St. Thomas, it's not too late. Go online at www.tsa.dot.gov or call 888-328-6172 to apply. Online, under menu choice at left for "Employment Opportunities," choose "Security Screener Opportunities."
TSA officials first announced the 270 hiring figure in July. (See Feds: V.I. Airport Screeners to Increase Six-fold)
Those who make it through the application process receive notification to call 877-631-5627 or 888-328-6172, or to go online to www.monster.com to register for the test.
"Within a week, they'll get a call back," said one tester at the Buccaneer.
They will be given an appointment at 7 a.m., 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. When they show up at the Buccaneer or the Wyndham, they will be directed to the testing location. Their name must be on the list in order for the guard at the gate to let them in.
The federal screener jobs pay $23,600 to $35,400 depending on experience. Additionally, workers get what the federal government calls locality pay and federal government benefits (health insurance, life insurance, retirement, paid vacation, and sick leave).
Screeners now employed at the airports are being encouraged to apply for these jobs. Anyone with relevant experience, which could include military experience, would be a suitable candidate as well.
Cyril E. King Airport currently has 31 screeners and three supervisors. Henry E. Rohlsen Airport has 14 screeners and three supervisors. All work for Worldwide Flight Services Inc., which holds contracts with the airlines for the service.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens, speak English, hold a high school or general equivalency diploma, pass hearing and visual tests, and able to lift suitcases.
The jobs are supposed to start by Nov. 19, the deadline handed down by President George W. Bush when he signed into law the Aviation and Transportation Security Act on Nov. 19, 2001. It shifts responsibility for airport screening from private companies to the federal government.
The agency is currently recruiting people for these full- and part-time positions at 429 airports across the country. As of Aug. 20, said the TSA Website, "TSA has hired over 16,500 screeners, more than half of the 30,000 [passenger screeners] needed by the November deadline."
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