European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 4, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 the stars and stripes Money matters wednesday november 4,1992merchants studies Headquarters shift by Kevin Robinson staff writer Frankfurt Germany merchants National Bank has made no decisions to close its German Headquarters in Frankfurt and move the operation to England a Bank official said wednesday. However the move is one possibility being studied As the Bank reviews How it will operate with fewer troops in Europe. A we Are funded by the taxpayer James o. Smith general manager of merchants National Banks in Germany said about their defense department contract. Amid a dwindling Pool of . Customers overseas Smith said merchants would be a criminally negligent if it did not study ways to reduce its operations. Employees at the Frankfurt Headquarters however Are concerned about their jobs As rumours Fly Over what they believe is a done Deal to move the Headquarters said Alo Wohlfahrt chairman of the Frankfurt works Council. The Council represents the 314 merchants employees and managers who work at the German Headquarters. But the . European Comdr a banking Liaison officer said no plan yet exists to do anything with merchants facilities. A there have been a variety of suggestions As to what to do with the Frankfurt Headquarters and moving it to High Wycombe England was one of them a said Mark Schnidler. Sixty so Van people arc employed at the High Wycombe Headquarters. Merchants is looking to see whether any duplication exists Between its operations in England and Germany Scheidler said. If so it will study plans to Combine or Cut operations. Scheidler said these suggestions include a leaving the Headquarters in Germany and England As they Are. A moving the Frankfurt Headquarters to England. A moving the Headquarters in England to Frankfurt. A consolidating major functions to form one Headquarters in one country but maintaining a reduced minor Headquarters in the other country. In August a phase of this consolidation began when merchants announced that its data processing Center in Frankfurt along with a Center in Hawaii will move next year to Indianapolis. The data Center action is expected to affect 53 employees in Germany alone when their jobs Are eliminated Wohlfahrt said. Reacting to the possibility of closing the Frankfurt Headquarters the works Council is concerned that such a move will mean More lost jobs. The result of these actions Wohlfahrt said could also mean a bigger expense for the department of defense if it has to bankroll More new payrolls Severance pay moving costs and new equipment and buildings. Since the draw Down began 44 merchants Bank branches have closed in Europe. Nearly 1 in 5 vehicles fails crash injury tests Washington a a Driver or passenger would have suffered serious head injuries or died in nearly one of every five new vehicles that the government tested in head on crashes according to test results released monday. The National Highway traffic safety administration said its results were based on 71 vehicles All 1992 and 1993-Model designs that underwent a 35-Mph head on crash test into a Barrier. Nearly three dozen More 1993-Model vehicles will be tested in the coming months. The tests showed that either the Driver or front seat passenger in 15 of the vehicles tested would have suffered life threatening brain injuries As a result of the crash despite use of a seat Belt. In 15 other vehicles tested the Driver would have escaped with no serious injuries although in some of those cases the front seat passengers might have suffered moderate injuries the Agency said. The car with the worst crash test results was the two door Oldsmobile Achiva in which the Driver would have sustained a head Impact causing almost certain death. The Van with the worst test results was the Chevrolet Astro Van. In each Case the Driver test Dummy recorded a head injury criteria hic rating of More than 2,000, or twice the level at which an occupant has a High risk of sustaining serious brain injury or death. The car with the Best test results was the four door Volvo 240 Sedan with a Driver Side air bag in which the Driver recorded an hic rating of 282. Four other air bag equipped cars a the Pontiac Bonneville Chevrolet Beretta Dodge Daytona and Toyota camry a recorded Driver hic ratings of less than 400. The Van with the Best results was the air bag equipped Dodge caravan which had a Driver injury number of 407. A amps it Van rom Naon James o. Smith. Studies a smaller environment this has prompted merchants to review life in a a smaller environment a Smith said. The suggestions from this review will be studied by Neucom to see whether they support the troops and Are Cost effective Scheidler said. The suggestions and eur come a recommendations will be passed to the defense Secretary a office. The suggestions also will be reviewed by the services before a final decision is made. Merchants will notify its employees of crash test results any decision As soon As a Bank management gets word Smith said. Once the employees Are notified it still takes six to me months before a plan is implemented he said. However works Council officials said merchants is required by German labor Laws to Tell them of plans affecting employees As they develop. A a management does no to want to give details or information until the final decision is made Wohlfahrt said. A they feel if people know that they May lose their jobs they May lose interest in their work. It would help to openly say what the plans Are so the employees could plan their  the Bank is in compliance with labor Laws Smith said adding that before any decision is implemented merchants will consult with the works Council. If workers do loss their jobs merchants has a program to a relocate workers in other jobs within merchants. A relocate workers to Bank jobs outside merchants. A provide career transition training. A if All else fails provide Severance pay. Whatever plans Are made Scheidler doubts that they will include a Complete closure of merchants Headquarters in either Germany or England. A you  close Down the office entirely a Scheidler said. Both Headquarters Deal with a country specific issues that can to be addressed from another country. Here is a partial list of vehicles submitted to crash tests by Tsoi Kalti traffic safety administration. Seventy one types of vehicles were involved in this latest round of testing. A head injury criteria hic rating of More than 1,000 is considered severe enough to cause serious and perhaps fatal brain damage while an hic of less than 500 is not expected to inflict serious injuries. Except where noted the hic number reflects injuries to the Driver. Volvo 240 282 Chevrolet Beretta 343 Pontiac Bonneville 369 Toyota camry 390 Dodge Daytona 399 Dodge caravan 407 Nissan 240sx 407 Geo storm 417 Cadillac Deville 423 Ford escort 434 Lincoln town car 471 Oldsmobile 88 473 Ford Taurus 480 Ford Aerostat Van 485 Chevrolet Corsica 493 Chevrolet Astro Van Oldsmobile Achieva Chevrolet sport Van Dodge ram Van Hyundai Elantra Isuzu trooper Nissan Pathfinder 2065 2021 1492 1392 1345 1219 1211 Chevrolet s10 truck passenger 1211 Chevrolet Lumina 1200 Volkswagen passant 1182 Buick Century passenger 1144 Chevrolet Caprice 101 Saturn sl2 passenger 1063 Mitsubishi galant 1024 Dodge Dakota truck 1005 a amps booming broker to court Job Hunting officers by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington a representatives of Edward d. Jones amp co., a securities investment firm Are coming to Germany for the sixth time to recruit officers leaving the military. The booming company based in St. Louis is the seventh largest brokerage House in the country. Most of its offices Are in Small towns and Are operated by individual brokers. Jones is seeking to hire 2,000 officers to help staff some of the new 8,000 one person offices it Hopes to open across the United states Over the next decade the biggest expansion Effort in its 70-year history. The firm has hired More than 800 representatives this year. About 200 of those were military officers and about one fifth of those connected with the company through previous seminars held in Germany said spokeswoman Mary Beth Heying. Jones officials said Many of the firms most successful employees Are former service members because their military careers built on discipline and initiative make them Ideal for jobs in which they work alone with no direct supervision. For those who sign on the company will pay for training and obtaining a brokers License. Starting base pay is about $16,500, but company officials said the average Jones broker rakes in $108,000 a year including commissions. The two hour seminars Start out with a general overview of the civilian Job Market and ways that officers can translate their military skills to the private sector. A a it a information that could help separating officers whether or not Jones turns out to be the right Choice for them a said Jack Cahill chief of sales hiring for the company. That is followed by a segment offering an overview of Jones philosophy and Structure Cahill said. An ensuing segment gets Down to specifics of training and compensation what Cahill called the Quot nuts and bolts kind of  for those who Are still interested when the presentation ends company representatives will arrange a one on one interview within a few Days of the seminar Cahill said. The company has four seminars slated for Germany in november. The schedule is As follows a Wurzburg nov. 14, 2 p.m., Maritim hotel  5. A Kaiserslautern nov. 17, 7 p.m., do not hotel St. Quentin ring 1. A Walldorf near Heidelberg nov. 19, 7 p.m., Holiday inn Waldorf Astoria Roter Strasse. A Frankfurt nov. 21, 2 p.m., Frankfurt Marriott hotel hamburger Allee 2-10