ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 23, 1996 TAG: 9601230058
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: ELISSA MILENKY STAFF WRITER
A Blacksburg Transit employee has filed an injunction in Montgomery County Circuit Court to prevent a recently hired supervisor from continuing in his new job until grievances filed with the town that allege unfair hiring practices have been resolved.
No formal hearing date has been set.
Dana Atchley, a Blacksburg Transit driver for nearly two years, filed an injunction on Jan. 12 claiming his chances of fairly resolving complaints regarding the hiring of Rodney Cole as a supervisor are hurt as long as Cole is on the job.
Between Dec. 26 and Jan. 2, Atchley filed nine grievances that relate to the way Cole was hired. Atchley, who interviewed for the supervisor/dispatcher job and served as an interim supervisor from Dec. 5 until Sunday, alleges more qualified applicants were bypassed for the job. Cole could not be reached for comment.
"The longer he works there, the harder it becomes to determine what he knew before he started the position," said Atchley, who named Town Manager Ron Secrist and Transit Manager Michael Connelly in the injunction.
"I'm doing what I'm doing not because it's a bad system but because it's a system worth saving."
Town officials could not comment on the injunction because it is a personnel matter. Secrist did say, however, that any grievances connected with Cole's hiring have not yet gone through the formal process. That process begins with a meeting with a supervisor and then escalates to meetings with a department head and the town manager if the person who filed the grievance is not satisfied.
Eventually, a three-person grievance panel would make a determination if the parties still have not reached agreement. According to his injunction, Atchley asked Secrist on Dec. 28 not to allow Cole to begin his supervisory job until the grievances had been settled - a request that was denied.
"It's in the very early stages," said Secrist, who added he could not comment further on the case because he did not want to inhibit the grievance procedure or embarrass any of the people involved.
LENGTH: Short : 46 linesby CNB