Senator Kennedy/Max Cleland: Back from war, out of a job

[babylonsister]

Back from war, out of a job


November 11, 2007


In recent years, we have called on our brave men and women to defend us once again. Since Sept. 11, 2001, 1.5 million of the nation's sons and daughters have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and nearly 94,000 members of the National Guard or Reserve are mobilized on active duty. Our forces have now been on duty in Iraq for 4 1/2 years - longer than our military was engaged in World War II. More than 3,800 have made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq or Afghanistan, and we will honor them for giving what President Lincoln called "the last full measure of devotion."

But all too often, after the parades have ended and the cheers have faded, returning veterans find that resuming life on the home front can be difficult and frustrating. Military service should not make keeping a job, supporting a family or making ends meet harder than before. But some veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are not getting the welcome they deserve.

Data just released by the Department of Defense show that, in many cases, employers aren't keeping faith with our returning troops. In a 2006 survey, 23 percent of returning reservists and National Guard members who could not find a job said that their previous employer refused to rehire them - as required by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. About 11,000 veterans came home to find that their former employers would not promptly take them back - in direct violation of that 1994 law. Even if they did get their job back, their employers often failed to provide them with full benefits. For example, more than 22,500 reported improper loss of seniority and seniority-related pay and benefits.

Congress enacted the law to ensure that soldiers would not suffer financial hardship because of their military service. The measure entitles returning service members to immediately resume their jobs with full pay and benefits. Congress also gave special attention to disabled veterans, requiring employers to accommodate their needs so that they can do their jobs.

But our laws are only as strong as their enforcement, and recent reports indicate that government agencies charged with enforcing the 1994 act are hamstrung by inefficiency and lack of coordination. Almost half of reservists and National Guardsmen who filed a complaint with the Department of Labor reported being dissatisfied with the handling of their case, and more than one-third reported that the department's response was not prompt. One veteran's case has languished at the Labor Department for seven years.

more...

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/11/11/back_from_war_out_of_a_job/

[babylonsister]

1. .

[Hissyspit]

2. To the Greatest Page with you. n/t

[JPZenger]

3. All I Got Was this FuXXXking T-Shirt

My President sent me to this useless war, and all I got was this Fuxxxking T-shirt.

[JPZenger]

4. Uncertain Return Dates

Part of the problem results from uncertain return dates.

The National Guard was not designed to be away from their jobs for such a long time.

The soldiers are told they are needed for 12 months. That becomes 14 months, then 16 months, then 18 months. There are even cases that soldiers are ordered back into Iraq after they are already on the plane to return home. That makes it very hard for employers to plan ahead.