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

DATE: THURSDAY, April 29, 1993                   TAG: 9304290076
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GEORGE KEGLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

STATE UNION WANTS TECH, RADFORD U.

A government workers' union expects to start organizing employees of Virginia Tech and Radford University this summer after attracting some members at state prisons from a rival union.

Randy Helt of Wytheville, a representative of the Virginia Alliance of State Employees, said Wednesday he plans to seek interested members at the universities later this year.

The alliance has more than 1,500 members, mainly at correctional units, he said.

Starting in January, Helt said, he's signed up members at Bland Correctional Center and Marion Correctional and Treatment Center as well as units at Dublin and Lebanon; and he plans to start at Keen Mountain, a prison near Grundy. At Bland, Helt said, some employees have switched from the National Association of Government Employees.

Jim Conley, a representative of the government employees' association, admitted that his organization has lost some members, but he claims strength at correctional units at Troutville, Martinsville and Keen Mountain.

Since Gov. Douglas Wilder authorized deduction of union dues from state employees' paychecks last year, several organizations have been working to charter locals. The unions held on to the check-off despite efforts in the recent General Assembly to rescind the authorization. Eight members of the union's staff lobbied the legislature to retain what Helt calls "voluntary payroll deduction."

"The main thing is to bring state employees together and work for the common goal of better benefits, better pay and better working conditions," Helt said.

Under state law, government unions cannot bargain collectively, but they are trying to build a membership base to bring pressure on legislators, he said.

The process is slow because a lot of state employees are reluctant to sign, Conley said, but his organization has some members among transportation and social services employees.

Because elections are not required for organization, Helt said, the union charters a local after about 75 workers sign up expressing interest at a unit with about 280 employees.

by CNB