Legislation would protect reservists' civilian jobs
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Sgt. Eric Grenesko, of Glenshaw, who said he was laid off from his job after he re-enlisted, takes part in yesterday?s news conference. "He's one of our true heroes," said U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire.
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Staff Sgt. Eric Grenesko professes that he has the nation's back, but in this time of war, lately he's been wondering who has his.
U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-McCandless, said he and a host of congressmen are making a move to do just that, by introducing legislation enabling U.S. servicemen and servicewomen to go to state courts to keep their civilian jobs while they are off defending the country.
With his wife, Karen, and Mr. Altmire at his side, Sgt. Grenesko said at a news conference yesterday that he was laid off from his latest job shortly after he announced his re-enlistment in the National Guard for six years.
"He is one of our true heroes," Mr. Altmire said in announcing the Reservists' Access to Justice bill currently under review in the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee.
The bill is intended to address problems experienced by countless Reserve and National Guard enlistees whose civilian jobs have been jeopardized by their military service.
Sgt. Grenesko, 38, said his employer, North Carolina-based Sunbelt Reynolds, classified his recent furlough as a business move. He and his wife are certain the layoff came because the company did not want to preserve his position as an account manager.
Current laws appear to cover such situations, said the soldier and the congressman, but the language is ambiguous, giving employers grounds to challenge them.
Because reservists and National Guard personnel like Sgt. Grenesko are not the same classification as regular military, many of their cases fall through the cracks. Their only venue for filing complaints has been in federal courts.
Mr. Altmire said the proposed legislation will make clear the language governing a soldier's return to civilian work. And, he said, it will allow state courts to accept jurisdiction over complaints.
That would alleviate a federal court backlog of cases like the sergeant's.
Mr. Altmire said research is under way to determine the breadth of the problem, which he believes is widespread.
First Published September 18, 2007 12:00 am
