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U.S. Office of Special Counsel
1730 M Street, N.W., Suite 218
Washington, D.C. 20036-4505
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AGENCY RECOGNIZES U.S. OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL
FOR SUPPORT OF NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE FORCES
OSC
Pledges “100 percent” Commitment to Enforcing USERRA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 7/8/04
CONTACT: CATHY DEEDS
(202) 254-3600
Today, at the Pentagon, Special
Counsel Scott J. Bloch, head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC),
pledged to aggressively prosecute any Federal agency that fails to fully
comply with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (“USERRA”).
USERRA requires full reemployment with benefits to all demobilized Reserve
and Guard forces returning to their civilian occupations while also
prohibiting any discrimination in employment on the basis of past, present,
or future military service.
Bloch signed an ESGR Statement of Support alongside the
Honorable Thomas F. Hall, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve
Affairs, Lt. General Roger C. Schultz, Director Army National Guard and Bob
Hollingsworth, Executive Director of the National Committee for Employer
Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency
dedicated to educating and assisting reservists and their employers
regarding USERRA’s strict requirements.
With the country in the midst of an historic and
forthcoming demobilization of National Guard and Reserve forces, Bloch
publicly pledged the full support and cooperation of the U.S. Office of
Special Counsel for ESGR along with “my solemn commitment to aggressively
pursue the rights of Reservists upon their return to the Federal civilian
workplace.” Bloch also told the military officials at a ceremonial signing
event that “Their sacrifices merit no less than 100 percent commitment to
enforcing USERRA.” Bloch is the father of a young Marine about to redeploy
to Iraq.
The OSC is a Federal investigative and prosecutorial
agency with sole enforcement authority to prosecute USERRA violations among
the Federal workforce. USERRA prohibits the denial of any benefit of
employment because of past, present, or future military service and applies
to all U.S. employers, whether private, local, state or Federal government.
As the new Special Counsel, Bloch pledged to vigorously
enforce that law in the Federal workplace and on June 23, 2004 filed the
first OSC USERRA prosecution case in the history of the Merit Systems
Protection Board (MSPB) against a Federal agency. In testimony before the
House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs the same day, Bloch also challenged all
Federal agencies to be model employers under USERRA, by “protecting fully,
vigilantly, and enthusiastically the employment and reemployment rights of
its employees and applicants for employment.” “It is an ambitious goal, but
one that is within reach – and it is the right thing to do,” Bloch stated.
(The full testimony is available on OSC’s web site, at
http://www.osc.gov/speeches.htm).
***
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is an independent investigative
and prosecutorial agency and operates as a secure channel for disclosures of
whistleblower complaints and abuse of authority. Its primary mission is to
safeguard the merit system in Federal employment by protecting Federal
employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices, especially
retaliation for whistleblowing. OSC also has jurisdiction over the Hatch Act
and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. For more
information please visit our web site at
www.osc.gov or call 1-800-872-9855.
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