[Shadow_Group] Remembrance and action for veterans - re-employment

[shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca]

THURSDAY'S EDITORIAL

By T&D STAFF

Remembrance and action for veterans

THE ISSUE: Veterans Day

OUR OPINION: ABA president makes key point about
undeserved legal worries

FROM:
http://www.timesanddemocrat.com/articles/2004/11/10/opinion/doc4192ee8e19a52747071142.txt<http://www.timesanddemocrat.com/articles/2004/11/10/opinion/doc4192ee8e19a52747071142.txt>
The United States this week launched a major military
offensive in Fallujah to gain an important strategic
stronghold in the war in Iraq.

With time and good fortune, the men and women who are
serving in this effort will return home, joining the
growing cadre of service members whose bravery and
sacrifices we honor on Veterans Day.

The nation today acknowledges the debt we owe to the
men and women of our military, and celebrates their
service and unflagging commitment to our country.
Sadly, while they are the front-line defenders of our
country in the global war on terror and frequently
serve as the face of democracy in faraway lands, they
find their legal rights have been diminished as a
result of their military service.

Chief among their legal worries is employment. A
recent survey done by the Reserve Officers Association
of readers of its newsletter found that 53 percent of
respondents were "very concerned" about their or a
member of their family's employment, including
eligibility for promotion or reemployment by their
current employer. Fifty-one percent said they are not
confident their jobs are secure while they are
fulfilling service duties away from home. These
difficulties often times are omnipresent in the
thoughts of active-duty soldiers, competing for their
attention while they are fulfilling potentially deadly
service-related responsibilities.

Today, amid the tolling of bells and other ceremonies,
we should stop to ask ourselves whether we are doing
all we can to repay their commitment. It is in this
spirit that the American Bar Association Standing
Committee on Legal Assistance to Military Personnel
appointed a working group with to assess the legal
safeguards provided to the thousands of reservists,
National Guard and other service members who make up
the nation's military, and to recommend new or
expanded legal protections where they are needed.

The report of the working group identifies a number of
critical areas where reform is needed, including
family support, child custody, housing, tax laws,
tuition benefits, and voting and employment rights.

The working group found that service members too often
encounter undue inequities and challenges to their and
their families' well-being, and that many of the
problems stem from the frequent relocation that
military service demands, as well as from the
prolonged periods of absence that duty in the Reserve
and Guard requires. These issues can become especially
acute when related to employment and job security.

Although the Uniformed Services Employment and
Reemployment Rights Act was enacted in 1994, after the
large-scale mobilizations brought about by the Gulf
War, and has been effective in helping to protect the
jobs of service members, the report found many
reservists are still at potential disadvantage for
promotion or reemployment opportunities. This is
especially the case for those in civil service, who
miss out on civil service testing necessary for
promotion, ultimately affecting their chances to
improve the financial security of their families for
several years, and for those whose earnings are
significantly augmented by performance bonuses but who
are effectively penalized by their absences while on
active duty. Still others, despite legal safeguards,
return from the war to find they no longer have a job
at home.

The shape and face of our country's military have
undergone tremendous change in the past several years,
as have the challenges and threats those in the
military must meet. It is incumbent on the legal and
business communities, government and lawmakers, to
work together to improve the legal safeguards for
those who serve. Our service members protect the
freedom and security Americans hold dear. Our nation's
laws should do no less in protecting their and their
families' rights and peace of mind.



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