Posted on 10/26/2005 3:40:21 PM PDT by SmithL
Caledonia, Mich. -- A woman who took an unpaid leave of absence from work to see her husband off to war with an Indiana National Guard unit has been fired after failing to show up for her part-time receptionist job the day following his departure.
"It was a shock," said Suzette Boler, a 40-year-old mother of three and grandmother of three. "I was hurt. I felt abandoned by people I thought cared for me. I sat down on the floor and cried for probably two hours."
Officials at her former workplace, Benefit Management Administrators Inc., a Caledonia employee-benefits company, confirmed that Boler was dismissed when she didn't report to work the day after she said goodbye to her husband of 22 years.
"We gave her sufficient time to get back to work," Clark Galloway, vice president of operations for Benefit Management, told The Grand Rapids Press for a story Wednesday.
He added that other factors were involved in the decision, but he declined to elaborate.
On Oct. 16, Boler went with her husband, Army Spc. Jerry Boler, 45, to an Indianapolis-area airfield, where he and others in his National Guard unit gathered to be transported to Fort Dix, N.J. The unit will soon be deployed to Iraq, where he will help guard convoys from insurgent attacks.
Although the Bolers moved to western Michigan 14 years ago, Jerry Boler, a diesel mechanic, decided to remain with his Bloomington, Ind.-based Guard unit, the 150th Field Artillery Regiment.
Suzette Boler had received permission to take off work the week leading up to her husband's departure. As a part-time employee at Benefit Management, she did not receive vacation pay and was not compensated for her time off.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Really. These folks are walking the walk. Let's get more of the "support the troops" crowd at least talking the talk...
I hope her friends and co-workers raise a big stink over this..
She ought to sue for them for unlawful termination.
This article is a little vague.
Did she take a week off, and then not show up on the day after the week she took off?
Or
Did she take a week off, and that scheduled week included the day after her husband left?
If the latter, its pretty disgusting. If the former, then she should have made better arrangements.
N. Henry Bledsoe
President/ASM
Benefit Management Administrators, Inc.
PO BOX 17
9365 Cherry Valley Ave
Caledonia, MI 49316
Phone: 616-891-1984
Fax: 616-891-9009
Email: henry@benefitsthatfit.com
URL: http://benefitsthatfit.com
Services:
Administration firm (third party administrator), Insurance products or services, Debit cards and electronic payments, Funding and financial services, Consultants and plan designers, Related services (such as flexible spending accounts and benefits)
Looks like she didn't go back to work when she said she would.
File this under: NOT BEING TOLD THE WHOLE STORY
The article says nothing about whether she had received permission to take off work for the day after her husband's departure.
There's a possibility that she took the week off and then tried to call out sick for the extra day. That's an absolute no-no for a lot of companies.
It's really pretty common and it is disgusting. I once listened to a supervisor tell a new hire (about 60 days) that she could take a day off for her wedding. She took the agreed upon day off from work, returned the next day and was there long enough to get called to the office and fired.
It's no wonder factories need security these days.
A woman who took an unpaid leave of absence from work to see her husband off to war with an Indiana National Guard unit has been fired after failing to show up for her part-time receptionist job the day following his departure.
True, but . . .
One of my first lessons in the Navy was to always have a reason AND an excuse for every action. They have picked the wrong ation to use as the excuse to fire her. There is nothing they can do to not look like the unpatriotic bad guys.
Any relation to George? A-hole!
I'm not surprised.
I wonder what kind of bonus her boss gave himself last year.
American boys and girls are dying so that these slobs can get richer.
N. Henry Bledsoe
Benefit Management Administrators, Inc.
9365 Cherry Valley Avenue
Caledonia, MI 49316
PH: 616-891-1984
FX: 616-891-9009
henry@benefitsthatfit.com
States: GA, IN, MI, OH, TN
"She ought to sue for them for unlawful termination."
And how was she unlawfully terminated? This isn't a question of law but of decency.
I noted the mention of taking time to see him off and also not showing up the day after he had left. It seemed to me that she might have been pushing the limits a bit. I don't want to see a service member's family put-upon unfairly. I don't want to see some lady try to milk an excuse to the point of absurdity either. I think you've got a good chance of touching on the issue that actually cost her the job.
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