ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Saturday, March 29, 1997               TAG: 9703310032
SECTION: BUSINESS                 PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 

SHIPYARD ADDRESSES BIAS COMPLAINTS BLACKS CLAIM DISCRIMINATION IN LAYOFFS

Black workers said white workers were warned ahead of time and given a chance to transfer.

Three-quarters of the Newport News Shipbuilding workers who received layoff notices last October are minorities, shipyard President William P. Fricks acknowledged this week.

However, the pink slips that went to 299 workers reflected the racial makeup of the welding, sheet metal and shipfitting departments that were targeted by the layoffs, Fricks said.

The layoffs prompted a flood of discrimination complaints by black workers, who said most of those affected by the jobs cuts are black. They contend white workers were warned ahead of time and given a chance to transfer to other departments.

Fricks, in a newsletter to employees this week, said the company would meet with officials of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and United Steelworkers of America to resolve the complaints.

Fricks said the shipyard is committed to being an equal opportunity employer. ``If discrimination exists, it must be erased,'' he said.

The Rev. Lawrence Bethel, president of the local NAACP branch, said he was encouraged by the company's willingness to discuss the complaints.

Talks between Local 8888 of the United Steelworkers and the yard have been going on for months. Judy Boyd, a union official, said she will seek a copy of the yard's affirmative action policy and a breakdown of its work force.

Before the layoffs went into effect Dec. 6, the yard found room to keep 111 of the 299 workers who received notices.

At a Tuesday meeting called by the local NAACP branch, speakers said discrimination against blacks is a long-standing problem at the shipyard.

Black workers said years of favoritism have resulted in white workers getting better training, easier jobs, quicker promotions and an overwhelming majority of management positions.

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