Saturday, April 05, 2003
Many employers in Western Virginia are making up pay difference for employees on active duty
Call to duty may not mean pay cut

"These fighting men and women leave behind families they must support and financial obligations that they must meet," an order from Gov. Mark Warner said.

By JEFF STURGEON
THE ROANOKE TIMES

    The community of Bedford knows full well the toll of war, having sacrificed in years past more than its share of young and promising men. For this latest war, officials in Bedford County - like many employers elsewhere - are trying to reduce the personal costs of military service.

    Along with corporate giants such as General Electric, Bedford County has earned recognition for its compensation policy for reservists and National Guard members called to active duty. Bedford County is on a list of "outstanding employers" compiled by Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, an agency within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.

    On Feb. 24, Bedford County 's board of supervisors voted unanimously to make up any difference between a county employee's pay rate and what they would earn in service.

    Many employers in the region have adopted similar policies. They include: Carilion Health System, Lewis-Gale Medical Center, the city of Roanoke, Roanoke County, Johnson & Johnson, the Kroger Co., MeadWestvaco and Virginia Tech.

    Bedford County Administrator Bill Rolfe explained that officials did not want county workers who are reservists or National Guard members to suffer financial hardship for military service.

    "We have about seven or eight employees who could be called up, and we thought it was the right thing to do," Rolfe said.

    Bedford County Sheriff Mike Brown said he's already lost one deputy to active duty, has two more "basically packing their bags " and another who is almost sure to go. Brown said he learned firsthand in 1967 that military service paid a lot less than his civilian railroad job. And he said he is glad county officials are willing to help workers who've been called up.

    "I just felt that they should not have to go and put their lives on the line and not receive some consideration from the county," he said.

    Advance Auto Parts, based in Roanoke County, gave full-time employees called to active duty four weeks' salary and part-time employees four weeks' salary at 20 hours per week.

    Advance Auto, which has 33,000 employees company wide, had more than 200 workers called to active duty. Five worked in Roanoke-area stores, said Sheila Stuewe, a spokeswoman for the company.

    The lump payments are Advance Auto's way of showing appreciation for employees protecting "those things we hold most dear," Stuewe said.

    Virginia Tech is governed by Gov. Mark Warner's executive order that says state employees called to active duty will receive pay to help close any service-related gap in compensation.

    "These fighting men and women leave behind families they must support and financial obligations that they must meet," the order said. The university, like other state institutions, will supplement salaries in cases where military pay is less than the employee's normal state pay. The order went into effect March 26.

    In the wake of the attacks of Sept. 11, Roanoke officials established a special pay supplement to ensure that the pay of reservists called to active duty between Oct. 1, 2002, and Sept. 30, 2003, will match what they made with the city. The city will cover the difference.

    The policy came in reaction to the terrorist attacks and President Bush's response.

    "We anticipated reservists would be called up," said Barry Agnew, the city's human resources administrator. The city has 39 employees who are reservists. Of those, 10 have been called to active duty.

    Roanoke County officials established a similar policy in March that says the county will make up any difference in pay for its employees who are reservists. Of about 14 such county employees, four have been called to active duty.

    Reservists called up before the policy was set could be eligible for retroactive supplemental pay.

    This compensation will be equal to the difference between the employee's regular salary and military base pay plus any other compensation received for military service.

    In a report to county supervisors, Joe Sgroi, director of human resources, cited the following example: A sheriff's deputy earns a monthly salary of $3,046. As a sergeant who has eight years in the reserves, he earns $2,400 a month. Under the county's proposal, the deputy would receive a supplement of $646 for each month of active duty.

    County Administrator Elmer Hodge said departmental budgets should be able to absorb any costs associated with supplemental pay.

    Of its roughly 10,000 employees, Carilion Health System has had 10 called to active duty. The company will cover any gap in pay.

    Nancy Agee, Carilion's chief operating officer, said in a statement: "This is a difficult time for the employees who are deployed and their families, and we wanted to do what we could to support them both financially and emotionally."

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