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

DATE: TUESDAY, March 14, 1995                   TAG: 9503140125
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

UNION OFFICERS WIN REMATCH

The re-election of Teamsters Local 171 President Jim Guynn Sr. to a sixth term was reaffirmed when ballots were counted Friday, the union reported Monday. Guynn defeated challenger Berkley Newbill, a driver for Schwerman Trucking of Daleville, 475 to 381.

``I feel pretty good about it,'' Guynn said Monday.

The first election, which was held in October 1993, was overturned last November by the Teamsters international governing body, and a new election was ordered. Guynn contested the challenge - first in federal court and then before the Department of Labor, which just last week said it would not intervene.

Neither Guynn nor any of the other winners of four major local union offices in the first election lost in the rematch.

Mike Atkinson was re-elected vice president, outpolling Melvin Jordan, 522-328. Jim Sherwood was re-elected secretary-treasurer with a 462-394 defeat of Eddie Whisnant. Carlton Hodges beat Carl Richardson for the post of recording secretary, 464-390.

The slate of challengers was not totally shut out. They took two of three trustee spots that were on the ballot. In the polling for trustee, incumbent Steve Wilson was the top vote-getter with 539. The other two trustee winners were challengers Steve Smith and Roosevelt Via.

The losing candidates in the first election had challenged the results on the basis of 161 disputed ballots that they said should have been counted but weren't.

The challengers first appealed to Teamsters Joint Council 83 in Richmond, which turned down their protest in February 1994. They then appealed to the international union.

After the international's November decision to order a new election, Guynn filed suit in federal court in Roanoke seeking a temporary injunction against the order. District Judge James Turk declined to intervene, saying the matter should be decided by the U.S. Labor Department.

Guynn said he received a letter from the Labor Department on Thursday, the day before the ballots in the rerun election were to be counted. The letter, he related, said the department would not stop the new election but gave no reason for denying Guynn's challenge. The department said an explanation would be sent later in a separate letter, Guynn said.

Newbill said Monday that his slate had expected to do better. ``You never can be sure in an election like that,'' he said.

He said one factor in the loss might have been a promise by Guynn to raise pension benefits from $2,750 to $3,000 per month. Guynn is a trustee of the Joint Council 83 pension fund.

Newbill's group is aligned with Teamsters International President Ron Carey, a reformist. Guynn had supported Carey's opponent in the last international election, Newbill said.

The feud between the two slates is not over. Although Newbill said his group has no plans to challenge the second election, it has filed charges with Joint Council 83, alleging several violations of union bylaws by Guynn's administration, he said.