European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 30, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday october 30, 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 3 complaints trigger review of is executive sees discontent linked to changes by Bob Klose staff writer operation and personnel policies at the stars and stripes Are under review by three . Government agencies both military and civilian in the Wake of numerous employee complaints. The organization which is headquartered in Gries Heim Germany near Darmstadt operates a daily news paper and a Chain of bookstores serving . Servicemen Bers and family members from Iceland to Turkey. It is the subject of reviews by investigators and Audi tors of two inspectors general and according to an equal employment Opportunity official in Frankfurt is the target of a High number of Leo complaints filed in recent weeks. A two member team from the . European come in visited the Griesheim Headquarters last week and conducted several sensing sessions with civilian and military personnel to hear complaints. And a department of defense in auditing team from Washington sent to Europe on business unrelated to the stars and stripes is scheduled to conduct a preliminary Survey of conditions at the organization to determine whether a formal audit or investigation is warranted. They re going to look at issues the Dod hotline received from stars and stripes employees said Den Nis Cullen a member of the Dod s regional in office in Wiesbaden Germany. Christopher a. Eddings general manager of the stars and stripes said both in visits were sparked by complaints from employees. Eddings said the Dodig in Washington told us they received complaints. I understand there was a complaint to Neucom As  he said it is not surprising for workers to complain either to an in or under Leo guidelines. The organization is having to go through a lot of changes and they Are pretty Tough in some cases de dings said adding that the draw Down of . Forces in Europe has Cut the number of bookstores from 200 to 140. Eddings did not know whether there will be further Contact with the Neucom in team or when the Washington team will visit the organization. However de dings said he anticipates the Dod Survey will not be limited to employee complaints. I think they Are going to look at a number of historical business practices he said suggesting such an in Quiry would be a natural follow up to an extensive Dodig probe of the organization in 1989. The in s Cullen said the Dod ordered the Survey partly in response to complaints the Wiesbaden office received from a former personnel official at the organization William Conaway and other employees he did not identify. Conaway left the stars and stripes on oct. 6 and has retired to san Antonio. Cullen said Conaway s concerns were married up with other issues the hot line has been presented. I Don t know the full Range of issues the hot line has be fore  personnel issues at the organization also Are coming under review in the course of processing equal employment Opportunity complaints filed by employees. According to Gaynell Grayson a civilian equal employment Opportunity specialist for the 233rd base support in covering the Darmstadt military Community stars and stripes employees contacted the local Leo office on 14 occasions since april. Grayson said her office has not processed a similar number of complaints from any other service activity in the Darmstadt military Community during that time period. Joey Vigil chief Leo official at the 103rd area sup port group in Frankfurt said he knows of seven Leo complaints filed against the organization in the last Sev eral weeks. Seven complaints within two months for an organization that size that should make the command staff stand up and say something is wrong he said. I d say that is a High  Vigil s office oversees Leo issues in Frankfurt Darmstadt and Wiesbaden. He said of the complaints filed against the Organiza Tion that he is aware of two were formal and five informal and one of the formal complaints already has been resolved. Informal complaints Are subject to possible Resolution through the intervention of a Counselor he said. A complaint becomes formal when the Issue is not re solved by a Counselor and is assigned to an investigator. Robert Fiore an american lawyer in Frankfurt who handles Many such Leo cases said he represents eight stars and stripes employees who have filed Leo complaints Over a two month period from mid August to mid october. He said he also is advising an addition Al four employees. Some Are waiting to see what happens with certain management decisions Fiore said. Fiore said the employees he represents Are raising issues of sex and age discrimination equal pay for the organizations having to go through a lot of changes and they Are pretty Tough income cases Christopher a Eddings stars and stripes general manager equal work and promotion opportunities. He said his clients work in the editorial and business sides of the operation. Other complaints involve senior members of the newspaper staff receiving pay cuts $8,000 a year in one Case and reduced responsibilities Fiore said. But Fiore s count on the number of complaints was challenged thursday by sue Gehman Leo officer for the stars and stripes. She said less than five employees have filed complaints. Gehman said Fiore misrepresented himself in a let Ter to the organization s management recently when he claimed he was the attorney for eight workers who had filed complaints. Four names on that letter had not filed a complaint said Gehman who in february was named the organization s first Leo officer. Leo officials As a policy do not identify employees who have filed complaints. However longtime stripes newsman Pete Shinn said he filed an Leo complaint alleging age discrimination after pay he received As news editor was Cut $8,000 a year to reflect his new Job on the copy desk. Shinn has worked for the paper 33 years and was a news editor 27 years. He acknowledged the newspaper is undergoing change but objected to the Organiza Tion s tactics. The first thing they target Are the older pc Dale he said. I put out 5,000 editions of this newspaper. I be put it on the line for the paper. I m outraged at such  like Many other . Military organizations in Europe the stars and stripes is reducing staff Levels an revamping its operations As troop Levels decline and Gehman said the draw Down is reflected in an increasing number of employees using the Leo system. There Are quite a few people who have gone through the Leo to determine their rights and responsibilities with this draw Down she said. Gehman said Many problems and employee employer issues Are solved through the Leo process before they become actual complaints. That Means the sys tem is working she said. Eddings termed the complaints healthy Given that a formal Leo program is relatively new at the organization. For 50 years stars and stripes had no Leo pro Gram he said. It would not Surprise me if there was a bit of a backlog on things stars and stripes people would like to talk about. I would support  although newspaper and in officials say multiple complaints have been made to is in Germany and Washington Only former personnel employee Conaway has been identified. Conaway was a classification and recruitment manager in the  department. He said he worked five years for the organization and 40 years for the Federal govern Rijkent. Conaway expressed concerns Over operation at the stars and stripes in a sept. 28 letter to it. Gen. Robert d. Chelberg the european come chief of staff. Conaway complained in the letter that working conditions at the organization have produced a hostile work environment and demoralized work Force and pitted employees against management. He wrote that employees Are harassed intimidated and threatened with salary reductions or forced into resignation or retirement by unscrupulous executives who Are insensitive to employee complaints and Reta Liate against those who  in a Telephone interview Conaway said he also sent a letter outlining about 10 issues to the in regional of fice in Wiesbaden and a Shorter version to Washington. Conaway would not identify issues raised in the letter to the Wiesbaden office. But he did say the two issues he passed on to Washington concerned Home duty arrangements that management made for employees who he said were dismissed or whom they could not Deal with. Specifically Conaway cited a former senior news room editor who he said remains on the payroll on Home duty status the manner in which manage ment chose to handle his forced  Conaway also cited a Home duty arrangement he said involved a female member of the organization s finance and accounting office. The former editor who the staff was told in septem Ber had resigned for personal reasons is receiving a paycheck while looking for work in the states Conaway said. The business office employee is Back at work he said. It is my understanding that the heat of the in was applied and she returned to duty he said. Eddings would not discuss the Home duty Issue. It s a personnel Issue he said. I Don t think it would be appropriate for me to  sex Abc correspondent new stripes ombudsman Byra Crowden Washington Bureau Washington a former Abc newsman and editor of the Washington journalism review has been named ombudsman for the european and Pacific editions of the stars and stripes. Bill Monroe who was an Abc correspondent for 17 years will replace Philip Foisie in december. Foisie is ending his term As the first ombudsman for the two daily papers that serve department of defense personnel and their family Mem Bers overseas. The ombudsman position was created in 1989 to provide an impartial professional review of editorial issues helping to ensure the papers Are fair balanced and free from censorship or news management Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams said thursday in announcing Monroe s selection. Monroe who is from new Orleans was the executive producer and Modera Tor of meet the press for nine years. A Tulane University graduate he has won broadcast journalism s two highest awards the Peabody award for Excel Lence in news reporting and the Paul White award for distinguished service. Monroe edited the Washington journalism review from 1987 to 1991 and had worked on newspapers and in radio before establishing himself As a television correspondent Williams said. Monroe served during world War ii in the Mediterranean with a twin engine bomber group. Foisie a former Washington Post and International Herald Tribune editor said he is leaving the position because he believes a Short tenure contributes to an ombudsman s Independence and credibility. I told them when i came out of retire ment for this that i d Only stay three years he said. I Don t know How Long Bill plans to  Monroe was unavailable for comment thursday. Foisie took the Job in 1989, when the papers especially the edition published in Tokyo were under close scrutiny by con Gress and the Pentagon following allegations of news management and censorship. Foisie s first report dated january 1990, recommended a change in title and role for the military commander of the papers. That change from commander editor in chief to commander publisher was quickly adopted along with Foisie s suggestion to hire seasoned newspaper professionals from the . Journalism Industry As senior editors for the papers