Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, December 13, 1994 TAG: 9412130045
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"Of course everybody's worried about their positions. Where's the budget ax going to fall?" an employee of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries said in response to Gov. George Allen's proposal.
"State workers are not slouchers," said the New River Valley employee, who asked that his name not be used because budget decisions are still being made and he fears for his job. "They're really dedicated, and they put in a lot of hours."
The valley has approximately 9,000 state employees, who account for almost 16 percent of its 58,000 workers. They earn 21 percent of the valley's yearly pay, according to the Virginia Employment Commission.
State workers account for such a high percentage of the New River Valley's work force because Virginia Tech, the state government's largest employer, is located here.
Allen announced his $2.1 billion package Dec. 2 and at the same time a statewide hiring freeze. Layoffs were possible, he said.
Since then, workers at dozens of state agencies with scores of area offices say they are not sure what to make of the news because Allen offered few details when he made his announcement, saying then he would release more information Dec 19. But everyone has heard enough to be worried.
"I'd say there certainly is concern, but I don't know to what level because everything is so uncertain," said Lynn Chenault, director of community services for the New River Valley, an agency that provides mental health and substance abuse counseling.
Community Services helps 1,600 people a day in the valley, many of whom "have few if any other options," Chenault said. Almost 200 people are employed in area offices, and many of them have graduate-level degrees and extensive experience.
Though Community Services receives most of its funding from local governments, many such agencies also receive state government funding, creating the possibility of a ripple effect across the spectrum of government workers in the valley.
Chenault said he expects funding decreases, and "it's quite possible" freezes and layoffs could occur.
At Virginia Tech, which has had to deal with a series of budget cuts in recent years, employees are "in a lot of respects almost shell-shocked," said Charlie Stott, former president of Tech's staff senate.
"Basically, everybody's just holding their breath and waiting."
The years of budget cuts led Andy Swiger, dean of Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, to say in a speech to his faculty and staff last week that "this is the worst time in the life of this college."
Other state employees in the valley are unsettled, too.
"All we have is a copy of the executive order," said Milton Carter, director of the Montgomery County Health Department.
The potential for freezes and layoffs "certainly keeps you thinking," he said. "Until we get more information, it's just a best-guess situation." he said.
Howard Bucknam, Blue Ridge Chapter President of the Virginia Governmental Employees Association, said he thinks Richmond decision makers "will ameliorate [their position] as they learn" about the effects of the freeze and potential layoffs. "I think both sides will realize there's wiggle room."
Still, he said, "The mood very simply is not very good." The loss of bumping rights, in which someone who has been laid off can take the position of someone who has less seniority, is especially worrisome. "This is a really new development that will cause a lot of concern ... [It's] very, very troubling.
"There's an underlying moral problem that's been worsened by this situation."
Bucknam also said employees understand the long-term benefit of having a leaner government, though "there will be some short-term and midterm problems for individuals who may or may not lose their jobs."
Nine percent of the Richmond area's employees, 4 percent of workers in Hampton Roads and 2 percent in Northern Virginia work for the state. Twenty-one percent of employees in Charlottesville, home of the University of Virginia, are state workers.
About 127,000 people are state employees across Virginia.
by CNB