
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 31, 1991                   TAG: 9104010184
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: D-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

`UNION' CONVEYS NEGATIVES IN VIRGINIA

THE DEBATE over "union" vs. Union, elaborated on by Stephen T. Phillips (letter, March 21), has more to do with semantics than reality. The major point missed by many, including the well-informed Mr. Phillips, rests on the fact that in a basically anti-union state like Virginia, the mere use of the term conjures up negatives in the public mind. It carries an implied threat of picket lines and disrupted services. Its use distracts the public from real issues in education.

I'm sure if I wanted to join the AFL-CIO, they would find some membership category under which they could take my money. If Mr. Phillips wishes to pretend that he is a member of a full-fledged union, fine. But without all rights, he is still restricted from exercising options vital to the functioning of a real labor union.

His letter also reinforces another gross misconception. Teachers are not direct state employees. Local districts hire and fire. This subjects teachers to wide discrepancies in benefits, salaries, policies and protections that state employees do not have to worry about. As a former president of a local education association and past president of a statewide social-studies organization, I certainly know the difference between "union" and Union. FRED R. EICHELMAN SALEM

by CNB