UNION URGES DUPONT TO RECONSIDER JOB PLANS

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

DATE: THURSDAY, March 25, 1993                   TAG: 9303250088
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GEORGE KEGLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
UNION URGES DUPONT TO RECONSIDER JOB PLANS
A union representing workers at DuPont's nylon plant in Martinsville claimed Wednesday that the company's "job combination" will cost rather than save money.
The Martinsville Nylon Employees Council urged DuPont to reconsider plans that are expected to affect 36 jobs, said Kenneth Henley, a Philadelphia lawyer who represents the union.
Henley stopped short of suing the company, as had been expected, but said the union will "look into initiating litigation for the employees involved" if DuPont does not rethink its plans.
The union had hinted that it would file a discrimination suit against DuPont because 28 of the 36 affected employees are women and whose average age is 47. The union has said work assigned to the women requires them to lift heavy rolls of yarn, a task many of them cannot do.
Company officials did not return calls seeking response to the union charges. Earlier, Personnel Manager Johnny Watkins said combining jobs is part of a downsizing program the nylon plant has been conducting. He said the employees can bid on other jobs, based on their seniority.
Dean Goad, council president, said the combination of two groups of jobs into one will result in approximately half of the 36 employees being discharged and many of the rest demoted if they cannot meet physical demands of the jobs.
"The issue is coming to a head," Henley said. "A good number of employees are facing discharge or a rollback . . . to a lower-rated job."
Goad said the company is combining the jobs, without savings, because a consultant recommended cost-saving practices that could be implemented.
Henley said DuPont "can't throw people away like this. . . . If we get this from DuPont, what can we expect from other companies?"

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB