ESGR WORKING WITH SOLDIERS, EMPLOYERS
Friday, October 24th, 2008 -- 11:59 AM
As local National Guard soldiers get ready for their deployment to Iraq early next year, a volunteer group is helping them work with their employers."It's a volunteer organization with the Department of Defense," says
Wayne Short of Granton, a member of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, or ESGR, "It started for the purpose to try and foster knowledge about what the Guard and Reserve was to employers."
He?s been making the rounds to area employers encouraging them to sign a statement of support.
"Everybody's been really receptive. It's just a matter of getting around to see everybody," he says.
Short will appear at an upcoming Neillsville Chamber of Commerce event.
The USERRA Law guarantees a citizen soldier can?t lose his job because of a call-up.
Some employers go above and beyond what?s required by law.
"Some will make up the difference between what the civilian wage would have been and the military monthly wage. Some companies make up the difference so the family doesn't have to suffer when (the soldier) is off on active duty," Short explains.
The ESGR is much more active today as the Department of Defense is relying more and more on part-time soldiers to serve overseas.
The 32 Brigade includes units in Neillsville, Abbotsford, Eau Claire, Arcadia, Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids. They?re scheduled to report for active duty in February.
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