Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2004 | 8:55 a.m.
Thousands of National Guard and Reserve troops have left their civilian jobs for full-time military duty overseas since 9/11. Increasingly, upon return, they are filing complaints with the U.S. Labor Department. Some missed out on a pay raise, others on a promotion and others on a better benefits package. Still others came back to find their old job had been eliminated.
In response, the department is investigating the complaints and settling many of them. It's also undertaking a nationwide campaign to educate employers about the 1994 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act, passed to protect a soldier's civilian job.
Employers, though, shouldn't wait to be contacted. On their own they should study the federal law and comply with it 100 percent. The soldiers spent months, sometimes a year or more, risking their lives while on military duty. Upon their return, everyone, including their employers, should do their duty by them.
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