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

DATE: MONDAY, October 2, 1995                   TAG: 9510020064
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BETTY HAYDEN
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WOULD YOU HELP STATE EMPLOYEES?

``What are you going to do to help increase the pay for Virginia Tech and all state employees? Morale is at an all-time low. Why does it take so long to be paid for overtime? Why can't this be added to our regular check? Why should state workers be charged to park on state-owned land? Fifty bucks is too much. That's a lot of money to a person who has a family and makes $10,000 or less. The bottom line: Do you care about state workers?''

Charles W. Hall, Pearisburg

The background:

State workers have been bought out, laid off and fired in an attempt to pare the state budget and the size of state government. Pay raises have either kept up with the rate of inflation or lagged slightly behind. The Virginia Governmental Employees Association will ask legislators this winter to support annual 5 percent, across-the-board pay raises for state workers in the 1996-98 state budget.

The General Assembly's role:

The legislature will adopt the state's two-year budget in 1996.

The answers:

The question was directed to the candidates for the House seat that covers Blacksburg, part of Christiansburg, northern Montgomery County and eastern Giles County.

Del. Jim Shuler (D): ``State employees have to be valued as people and not seen by a state administration as `bureaucrats playing computer games.' I challenge those in the administration to spend a week working in some of these fields, or on these highways, or in laboratories, or in mental health hospitals - and then maybe they'd understand the value of teamwork, morale, experience and dedication. Virginia's recognition as the best-run state in the nation was due to caring, pride and hard work by employees who believe that this commonwealth has a future as well as a history.

``Charles Hall is right. Morale has to be strengthened; compensation has to be fair. It's been said that a rising tide lifts all boats. We need a rising tide of economic and educational strength in Virginia; the two are tied together. And then pay for all workers will reflect that strength. The issue of parking on the Virginia Tech campus is a problem for everybody. I won't try to second-guess what a reasonable rate is. Clearly, more parking spaces are urgently needed there. I will contact personnel and payroll offices to see if overtime pay can be expedited. And, yes, I see firsthand the dedication of state workers. For all those who work to keep Virginia special for those to come, I will continue to work for the results of leadership."

Larry Linkous (R): ``In order for the commonwealth to continue to attract the most qualified employees and remain competitive, salaries must be brought in line with those in the private sector. The state may have to look at a new evaluation system to better reward employees with good performance. This is crucial for all grades of employment with the state. Some of our hard-working state employees are not compensated enough for the job they do. To increase pay, the money has to come from somewhere. The two primary sources would be taxes and growth. I choose growth!

``I believe that we are headed in the right direction to achieve economic growth and new industry in Virginia ... continued economic growth and new industry in Virginia. Continued economic growth will allow us to bring state employees' salaries into line with the private sector. In April 1988, the General Assembly approved language that appears to require only colleges and universities to seek non-general-revenue pay for parking. The language was included in the Appropriations Act. It has subsequently been inserted in each appropriations act since, including the 1995 act, which my opponent had the opportunity to vote on.

"It seems to me that there should be a better way of funding parking than charging hard-working state employees who have no choice in the matter. The overtime issue is more complex. In the current system, employees receive a separate check because of the way time sheets are sent in. In overtime, everything has to be entered separately. However, there should not be any more than a two-week delay in the reimbursement. If a longer delay is being experienced, the issue should be looked at in more depth."

Also on the record:

In a Sept. 6 candidates' forum, Linkous supported the concept of raises for state workers but wouldn't commit to the 5 percent figure. Shuler said the figure has merit.

Got a question for the candidates? Send it to Citizens' Agenda, The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010, or fax it to 981-3346 or e-mail dyanceyinfi.net. Please include your name, address and daytime phone number, and specify which candidates your question is for.

Keywords:
POLITICS

by CNB