Posted on 08/15/2004 1:05:17 PM PDT by Willie Green
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Increasing numbers of National Guard and Reserve troops who have returned from war in Iraq and Afghanistan are encountering new battles with their civilian employers at home. Jobs were eliminated, benefits reduced and promotions forgotten.
Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Labor Department reports receiving greater numbers of complaints under a 1994 law designed to give Guard and Reserve troops their old jobs back, or provide them with equivalent positions. Benefits and raises must be protected, as if the serviceman or servicewoman had never left.
Some soldiers, however, are finding the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act can't protect them.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
The law, apparently, was strengthened in 1996.
Reading the article, it appears that most of the businesses weren't aware of the law and just need some schooling.
How about its the f'in law.
Its=It's
Imagine being forced to hire a no account bumb who just took a year off defending his country in Iraq. Clearly this is just anti-business. Instead of getting shot at and putting up with god knows what else when reactivated these folks should go out and get a real job. Losers! [/sarcasm - needless to say]
Good one Andy. Thanks for defending the troops.
Got a co-worker now from my corp. office whose annual salary is 60K - 70K. Fortunately our company offsets his military pay for 6 months which is pretty much standard for almost all companies these days.
It is obvious to me that Jim's motivation to be in the reserves is neither financially nor educationally motivated since he has already attained a masters degree. The only motivational factor left is his patriotic love for this country.
Your ignorant comment of "TOO BAD" is way out of line.
Care to give up over half of your annual salary to go to that Godforsaken country of Iraq as#@%$&?
I'm not bashing the Reserves. What I'm saying is that the Reserves are exactly that... "reserves", to be used in a time of war, say, like World War IV. They should not be surprised that they are being deployed, nor that an employer is unable to hold their civilian jobs for an indefinite amount of time. Plus, the active-duty military is certainly able to hire those reservists who lost their civilian jobs. And as far as the poor little wife and kids at home, we in the civilian world have the same problems. I thank all military servicemen and women for their service to the country. And for those who complain that they've been called to war, well, welcome to the post 9/11 nation. The military is more than just a GI bill or a second income.
My point, too.
Walking the beat isn't all police do, or does he not want to accept a desk job? Sounds more like he's not resolved with his injury. I have sympathy for those who come back to small businesses to find there is no job but this guy needs to buck up.
That is how I understand what these posters are saying too.
Well perhaps since they are such hard@sses they would not mind fighting for our country except these are probably the same people who are for more illegal immigration (taking jobs from our men and women) and global outsourcing (taking jobs from our men and women while increasing the bottom lines of countries to build up militaries and militias against us so our men and women have to go and fight some more).
_________________
Sympathy / empathy for Reservists on extended orders few and far between it seems . . ping.
How many days have you served in a United States military uniform?
Small businesses are not affected by the law, only ones large enough to be under all the usual Federal labor crap.
Most of our guys who had problems were professionals with individual practices or very small firms. My own business folded without me. We lost a couple of our best guys on return because their businesses couldn't survive another deployment, and another deployment is a certainty.
We did have some individuals who had very anti-military superiors (most of them for some reason lawyers, teachers, or working for municipalities) that tried playing games. One Federal agency has directed one of my guys to quit or be transferred to the agency's worst hellhole "and we never had this conversation." Of course, we are in a very liberal, anti-military area of the nation and a lot of our guys were "in the closet" about their other jobs before the deployment came.
OTOH, some employers came through marvellously. I know two guys who were paid their whole civilian salaries the whole time they were on active duty. (One was a state policeman).
The guy who lose his cop job (in the article) because of his combat wounds, ought to be on VA disability. That said, I have found the VA to be worthless and indifferent. If you are a phony with an outlandish PTSD claim or a 500-pound blob claiming your diabetes is related to your two months in the Army in 1973, they are all over you, but if you've got injuries from combat you get the impression you are messing up their coffee break.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
Seems like our priorities are a bit skewed (regarding who gets disability, etc.) It is good to hear that some employers volunteered to go above and beyond while their employees were dodging bullets for them.
Perhaps, however two of my workers have been on duty for almost two years and they WILL have their job when they return, get paid by our company ALL differential in pay so they maintain their same income, and are highly respected and appreciated for their service while on duty!
"I am surprised at some of the selfish talk on this thread. All the law says is that employers can't discriminate against reservists, yet that is just what they are doing. I have experienced this myself."
I'm no longer surprised by it. Matter of fact I have come ot expect selfish me me me first behavior from all Americans (all people for that matter)
We once had a great Nation, founded under Godly principles with humble God fearing men at it's helm
What we have now are a bunch of "Me Firsters" that have no idea of Duty, Honor, Sacrifice or even Integrity.
This is not the America I grew up in and it's becoming less and less the America I wish to defend.
People who I used to think were my idealogical allies are proving to me more and more that they are nothing more than money hungry weasels, and frankly I wouldn't pee on one to put out a fire.
Disgusting
"That is how I understand what these posters are saying too.
Well perhaps since they are such hard@sses they would not mind fighting for our country except these are probably the same people who are for more illegal immigration (taking jobs from our men and women) and global outsourcing (taking jobs from our men and women while increasing the bottom lines of countries to build up militaries and militias against us so our men and women have to go and fight some more)."
I find it more difficult every post I read to argue with your stance.
" Sympathy / empathy for Reservists on extended orders few and far between it seems . . ping."
So it seems
Some of these posters disgust the living hell out of me.
Something has to be done about this. If their job has been eliminated, we should find them another or they should be allowed preference in a civil service job if they want.
We have a guy over in Iraq with the NG right now. Although we've had a reduction in force, his job is still waiting for him. The rest of us have picked up the slack so he'll have that job. We are all extrememly proud of him and what he's doing.
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