From
Snopes.com
I HOPE you have all seen the reports about how Sears is treating its reservist
employees who are called up? By law, they are required to hold their jobs open
and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose
benefits as a result of being called up.
Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all
benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up
reservist employees for up to two years. I submit that Sears is an exemplary
corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution.
I suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell them why
we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement it well deserves.
Pass it on.
Although many employers look favorably on military service and even encourage
it, there are some who find it burdensome to have an employee who spends time
away from the job. Military reservists and National Guard members pose a
particular challenge to employers because they're subject to recall to active
duty at any time — call-ups to active service during times of war may not occur
often, but active duty recalls can occur even during peacetime, and nearly every
reservist has to take occasional leave from his regular job for monthly drills
and annual training.
In order to provide a measure of employment security to reservists subject to
active duty recall and minimize the disadvantages that occur when reservists
need to be absent from their civilian employment to serve in the uniformed
services, the United States enacted the Uniformed Services Employment and
Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
in 1994. Codified in Chapter 43, Part III, Title 38 of the United States Code,
this
act mandates that
"any person whose
absence from a position of employment is necessitated by reason of service in
the uniformed services shall be entitled to reemployment rights and benefits."
Of course, reservists give up more than just their jobs when they're called up
for active duty. Although the law may require that their former positions be
waiting for them when they return, many reservists still have to deal with the
financial hardships of the difference in pay between their civilian jobs and
their military positions; as well, other job benefits they may lose out on while
on active duty (such as medical insurance coverage or participation in employer
bonus plans) are not guaranteed to them. Some employers voluntarily go the extra
mile for their reservist employees, making up the difference between their
regular pay and their military pay while they're on active duty and ensuring
that all employer-sponsored benefits associated with their jobs remain in force.
(In most cases, continuing employees' medical benefits does not mean that the
employer picks up all the costs of those benefits, but that the employees may
opt to maintain the same level of group insurance coverage under the provisions
of
COBRA.)
Sears is indeed one of the employers who take additional steps to show support
for workers involved in serving their country (either in the Reserves or the
National Guard) by guaranteeing the continuance of their civilian pay (for up to
60 months) and allowing continued participation in life insurance, medical and
dental programs. Although Sears is singled out in this example, many other
American businesses, large and small, do the same for their Reserve and National
Guard employees. A listing of such businesses can be found on the Employer
Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR)
web site.
So I encourage you all to please support your military, your country and a local
store that is doing the same.
Thank you.
J.D. Olsen