11:0195(44)RO - Providence VA Medical Center, Davis Park, Providence, RI and Laborers International Union of North America, Health Care Division, Local 1056 -- 1983 FLRAdec RP

 11 FLRA No. 44
 
 PROVIDENCE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION
 MEDICAL CENTER, DAVIS PARK,
 PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
 Activity
 
 and
 
 LABORERS INTERNATIONAL UNION
 OF NORTH AMERICA, HEALTH CARE
 DIVISION, LOCAL 1056, AFL-CIO
 Labor Organization/Petitioner
 
                                            Case No. 1-RO-39
 
                            DECISION AND ORDER
 
    Upon a petition duly filed with the Authority under section
 7111(b)(1) of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute
 (the Statute), a hearing was held before a hearing officer of the
 Authority.  The Authority has reviewed the hearing officer's rulings
 made at the hearing and finds that they are free from prejudicial error.
  The rulings are hereby affirmed.
 
    Upon the entire record in this case, including the parties'
 contentions, the Authority finds:  The Petitioner, Laborers
 International Union of North America, Health Care Division, Local 1056,
 AFL-CIO (LIUNA), seeks an election in a unit of all General Schedule
 (GS) professional employees of the Activity, excluding, inter alia, all
 Title 38 /1/ professional employees.  /2/ The Activity contends that the
 only appropriate unit under the Statute would encompass all
 unrepresented professional employees, including Title 38 professionals;
 that the unit sought therefore is inappropriate because the GS
 professional employees do not share a community of interest separate and
 distinct from the other professional employees of the Activity;  and
 that such a unit would lead to unwarranted fragmentation of the Activity
 and would not promote effective dealings and efficiency of agency
 operations.
 
    For approximately 10 years, until May 1980, Local 980, Nat