SMITH ACCEPTS EXTRA PAY INSTEAD OF JOB BEMC Reaches Settlement With Former Union Leader BY SUSAN USHKR Instead of his old job at Brunswick Electric Membership Corp. or one like it, fired union leader George Douglas "Doug" Smith of Whitevillc has agreed to a settle ment that includes another three years' wages. BEMC reached a settlement with the former union leader around July 8, after a federal appeals court directed the co-op to comply with an order to offer Smith his job back. BEMC General Manager David J. Batten said the settlement with Smith was valued at approximately $150,000. It in cluded reinstated back pay (at a rate of ap proximately S10 an hour) interest and bene fits from June 14, 1993, to his dismissal and "three years' additional salary for him not to accept re-employment," said Batten. Smith's telephone had been disconnect ed and he could not be reached for com ment Monday. The June 14 order by the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., denied a motion by BEMC to have its ap peal reconsidered and directed compliance with an enforcement order issued in April. That order enforced a remedy issued by Administrative Law Judge Robert G. Ro mano in 1991. The remedy found that BEMC had en gaged in unfair labor practices and directed it to offer to rehire Smith and clear his per sonnel record; and if requested, to bargain in good faith with Wilmington Local No. 495 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Smith was fired May 10, 1990. after a scuffle with co-op Assistant General Manager Robert "Chip" Leavitt. BEMC also had to post a copy of Romano's directives at all sites, which it did on July 12, just ahead of its deadline for reporting compliance efforts. The NLRB ruled that Smith's involve mcni in ihc altercation was legally insuffi cient grounds for his dismissal and that his firing was discriminatory. However, the union has not been active at BEMC since sometime in 1990, accord ing to former members and management. "Unless we hear from the local in Wilmington, we're going to operate on the premise that the union is dead here," said Batten. "If they ask, we are to negotiate w ith them in good faith." Ratten said 51 percent of the 50 to 60 employees eligible for union representation had signed a petition asking BEMC not to recognize the union as their bargaining agent. However, a vote could not be called with the case pending before the NLRB. It is uncertain when, or if, a vote to end union representation will be called. BEMC employees voted for the union in Sept. 27. 1989, and bargaining began that November. However, BEMC and the IBEW never did negotiate a contract. Approximately 55 of the co-op's 138 employees arc eligible for union representa tion in collective bargaining. If BEMC and the union were to re-enter negotiations. Batten acknowledged, the sta tus of two supervisory/management jobs created by BEMC without union involve ment, as well as a number of job "promo tions and enhancements" that have occurred in the interim would be called into question. In March 1990 the co-op's drafting and mapping coordinator and load manager co ordinator were moved to new non-union el igible positions of engineering assistant su pervisor and load management coordinator supervisor with benefit of collective bar gaining with the union as required by feder al labor laws. In seeking to have its appeal heard again, the electric co-op had wanted to cite a Texas case in which another appellate court had ruled regarding the National Labor Relations Board's authority in labor related issues involving Texas cooperatives. Since 1989 Batten said the co-op has paid approximately $200,000 in legal fees to labor law specialist W. Britton Smith Jr. of Charlotte, who was hired to represent the co-op in union-related matters. In voting for the local, union members said they were seeking a larger role in deci sion-making at BEMC for employees and fairer wages for linemen and others. While BEMC is the second largest co-op in the state, at the time the union was organized their pay was short of the statewide aver age. Batten said that since then, BEMC has increased its efforts to make sure employ ees have an opportunity for input and has reviewed salaries. "If we had any discrepancies we have tried to address those," he said. "We feel confident that in today's climate they arc being paid fair market value for the size of our co-operative and our service area." STAFF PHOTO BY DOUG BUTTE* Jurassic Beach Cindy Simmons of Marietta, Ga., spent a vacation day working on this dinosaur sand sculpture at Holden Beach. Her daughters found the shells used for the teeth and claws. When you leave the Brunswick shores/ take the Beacon with you! cV pica's Favorite rozen Yogurt ? .When Tiste Matters A Sj Early Dinner Menu? 4:00 to 6:00 P.M. Paata of the Day $1146 ? Chicken Angelica $9.96 ? Steak Diane $12.95 Crabcake Cheaapeake $1196 ? Fried Jumbo Shrimp $11.96 ? Broiled Flounder $9.95 . Sea Catch [Bbck Grnp*. Yalk? n> Tmk Amku IUd SMfftr. Nvmcuu SdM) >bn milatiU $11^6 to $1195 1 Entrees served with house salad, fresh baked bread and sauteed vegetables or rice Wc serve food Mon-Fri till 1 AM. Sat. till 12 PM, Sun. til 10 PM HAPPY HOUR IN THE BAR 4 TO 7 PM-FREE WINGS Bar Specials All Nite 350 150 $2.25 | Fresh Shucked Oysters Steamed Spiced Shrimp Alaskan Snow Clusters OFF PREMISE CATERING AVAILABLE llwv 17. Little River, SC ? Open 7 Days a Week . fc. KKSF.RVATIONS PRKKpRREtf rfflJ3> 249-2C24" i _ W Stop by toda$ arifl \ ignite your tastebpda I with Colombo ^ of Colombo Frozen Yogurt and get a second of equal or lesser value Free. ^ Bring this to store listed. Buy s large serving for Good at Shallotte and Southport Express Stops Recipient of 1ST PLACE FOOD DIVISION at the 1992 & 1993 BLUE CRAB FESTIVAL? Little River. South Carolina Varnum Takes Seat On Town Board BY DOUG RUTTER Tony Varnum officially took his scat on the Varnamtown Board of Aldermen Tuesday morning, taking the oath of officc from Mayor Judy Galloway at her place of business. Vamum was expected to lake his scat on the board at Monday night's regular montnly meeting but he was called in to work. Instead, he was swom in Tuesday at the Lock wood Folly Seafood docks. Vamum fills the scat vacatcd by Tonya Robbins, who rcccnily re signed to devote more time to her restaurant business. He also fills her scat on the town planning board. The planning board has tentative ly scheduled a meeting Monday, Aug. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in town hall. Chairman Ada McDonald said pre liminary plans for the town park and a proposed adult entertainment ordi nance will be discussed. Shallotte rcccnily adopted an adult entertainment ordinance that restricts where businesses such as topless bars and massage parlors can locate and how they can operate. Aldermen said Monday night they arc interested in getting new people on the planning board. Current members arc McDonald, Tony Vamum, Paul Vealcy, James Mincra and Tracic Varnum. "I'd like to sec some more people from the community on the planning board, maybe even add some addi tional members," McDonald said. Added Mayor Galloway: "We'll be glad to have all on there that want to, even if we have a whole room Chadwicks Hope For Arrests In Family Cemetery Desecration A Shell Point family is hoping for the arrest of a person or persons who desecrated its small, century-old cemetery. Two weeks ago, for the second time since March, headstones were overturned in the Chadwick family cemetery off High Meadows Road, according to family member Toni Chadwick. Graves in the secluded family plot date back to the late 1 8(X)s and early 1900s, according to Nellie Chad wick, who lives nearby. The first in cident occurred in Marchr, when family members discovered six headstones had been overturned. While most could have been toppled by hand, Toni Chadwick said she believes machinery would have been required to turn over one large headstone. 'The first lime we fixed it our selves," Toni Chadwick said. "We didn't caH the sheriff's department." Two weeks ago, when family members discovered all the dozen or so gravestones overturned and flow ers strewn about the cemetery, they reported the incident to the Bruns wick County Sheriff's Department. Detective Gene Caison said Tues day he hopes some recent arrests in a series of unrelated incident will re sult in information about the ceme tery desecration. "1 don't believe kids could have done it," said Toni Chadwick, who used a backhoc to right the head stones after the first incident. She said she could find no additional ev idence such as footprints. "It seems like each time it's happened right before a rain." Mcvtk Sxiundm Family Optometry ?Comprehensive Eye Examinations ?Ocular Emergencies ?Contact Lenses and Glasses Prescribed ?Diagnosis and Treatment of Diseases of the Eye ?Full Selection of Eyeglass Frames Suite 3, Promenade Office Park 143 Holden Beach Road, Shallotte Office hours by appointment. Evening appointments available. Phone 754-9687 Member American Optometric Association Make vour 1, Save lime and money with the BioGuard" 3-Step Program. Sanitize /\ Shock ^ Prevent Aleae Stingy Slick" stabilized 1 Remove wastes with ' ? Back-Up* stops chlorine lasts longer. I Burn Out* or Burn X algae before it scans, You'll use less / Out* 35 to keep water 1 saving you time chlorine, less often. ^ | sparkling dear. J | and money. Stingy Stick? Long-lasting stabilized chlorine sticks Burn Out? Shock to sparkle your water. Back-Up? Stops Algae Before It Starts Complete Line of Pool & Spa Chemicals. Relax. Bring your pool gdL to BioGuard . BioGuard PROFESSIONAL POOL MAINTENANCE Hwy 179, Island Village Specialty Shops, Ocean Isle Beach, Behind IGA Bldg. ffj 579-8828 OPEN MONDAY - SATURDAY Daily Maintenance ? Chemicals ? Accessories & Equipment Dealer For Down East Spas full." Anyone interested should con tact a town board member. Town Clerk Lucllcn Norris re ported Monday that she recently mailed third notices to a half do/.en property pwncrs who still owe town taxes for 1989, 1990 or 1991. If the taxes aren't paid by the end of the month, town board members have instructed the clerk to turn the matter over to Town Attorney Michacl Ramos for collection. Vamamtown plans to send a letter of thanks to Congressman Charlie Rose for his efforts in getting the Lockwood Folly River channel dredged. "We may not be able to measure his part, but I'm sure he had some part in this," Mayor Pro Tem Ennis Swain said. Swain works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which carried out the projcct. Starting in August, aldermen will meet the sccond Monday of each month instead of the third Monday. The meeting time will remain 7:30 p.m. Congratulations Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall-Midway Road We're proud to have provided paving services for your church. Helping Brunswick County Grow! Grading And Paving Contractor 754-7177 2 miles north of Shallotte on Hwy. 17 Asphalt Plant A ?Dairijl Queen / ? ? - WELCOME TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF "DAIRY QUEEN*"