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

DATE: FRIDAY, December 31, 1993                   TAG: 9312310094
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-11   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MAG POFF STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

JOB EFFORT ENDED

First Union National Bank of Virginia's transaction center, a career counseling operation at the Plantation Road center, will remain open but will be unstaffed.

Bill Pistner, head of employee relations for First Union, said about 75 people still have not found work.

Dominion Bankshares Corp. had about 5,000 employees, including 2,200 in the Roanoke Valley, when it and First Union announced in September 1992 they would merge operations.

Prior to closing the deal in March, Dominion agreed to eliminate 1,288 positions systemwide, trimming a layer of top management and other jobs that duplicated those at other First Union operations. Since the acquisition, First Union has moved some operations to Roanoke and Roanoke County, and as of October had 2,200 area employees and expected a net gain of 30 more jobs in 1994.

Both companies took restructuring charges against 1992 earnings to cover merger-related expenses, $60 million by Dominion and $25 million by First Union.

The career center will remain open so former Dominion employees can continue using the personal computer, telephones, fax and copy machines for their job searches.

Jean Dixon, who has staffed the center, no longer will be there to help the former employees after today.

She also becomes a displaced worker from the merger. Dixon said Thursday she had not found a job, "but something will come up."

Pistner said employees also are free to use the job-search facilities of the Fifth District Employment and Training Consortium at 3330 Valley Forge Ave., off Brambleton Avenue.