ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, September 19, 1996 TAG: 9609190048
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MAG POFF STAFF WRITER
First Union Corp. will significantly reduce the size of its systemwide print shop in Roanoke County, eliminating 17 jobs at the end of the year.
David Scanzoni, spokesman for the Charlotte, N.C.-based banking company, said 17 of the shop's 25 employees will be laid off, effective Dec.31.
The shop, which prints materials for the entire multi-state First Union system, will be operated by eight workers, Scanzoni said Wednesday.
The bank learned during a study that most of the printing work could be performed more cheaply by private contractors than at its own center, he said. Most of the work will, therefore, be "outsourced."
He said the bank's human resources department is helping the 17 employees find other jobs in or outside of First Union's operations in the Roanoke Valley. They might qualify for available banking jobs such as check encoding, a function that also is located at the bank's operations center on Plantation Road.
First Union hopes the long lead time will help most of the employees find jobs. Scanzoni added that most of them are highly skilled.
First Union has 2,200 employees in the Roanoke Valley, many of them working on other systemwide functions such as the credit card division's customer service center. First Union is the nation's sixth largest bank, with operations in 12 states and the District of Columbia.
LENGTH: Short : 35 lines KEYWORDS: JOBCHEKby CNB