ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Wednesday, April 10, 1996              TAG: 9604100038
SECTION: CURRENT                  PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE

TECH MAY STRIVE TO MAKE UP DIFFERENCE

Recompense could be in the offing for a group of Virginia Tech employees who stand to lose the most from the state's complicated new pay-raise plan.

Top university officials are thinking about making up the difference between what 600 administrative and professional faculty earn now and what they could could lose in 1997 when their 4 percent pay raises go into effect. That's according to Provost Peggy Meszaros, who spoke Tuesday to an open meeting of faculty and staff.

"I'm not sure where we'll come out," Meszaros said in response to a question about the raises. "I have a sense we will do something to address the disparity."

However, Meszaros cautioned that Tech's discretionary pot of about $1.5 million in state funding has many projects competing for its use.

The state has adopted a plan to shift paydays back such that workers would lose a paycheck next year. While many Tech workers essentially will break even under the plan, Tech's administrative and professional faculty stand to lose 0.35 percent over what they're making now. The payday shift will be complete next fall. For the most part, significant raises won't show up in checks until 1998.

Tech's classified workers are slated to receive 4.35 percent raises, and instructional faculty, 6 percent raises. At Virginia Tech, both classes of faculty are awarded raises based on merit, officials say.

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