Benefits April 7, 2005

Feds Settle USERRA Case with Bridgestone

April 7, 2005 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire has agreed to advance an Army National Guardsman within its pay schedule and give him back pay as part of an out-of-court settlement with the federal government.
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According to a BLR.com news report, the US Justice Department had sued the tire company, alleging that it failed to follow the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) by not advancing the guardsman during a 15-month period while he was on active duty.

The government’s suit said that the guardsman joined the service in August 2000 and was later hired by Bridgestone in May 2002. The guardsman was then activated as a member of the Army National Guard under Operation Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom from December 2002 to March 2004.

Upon his return to Bridgestone, the guardsman was paid at the same rate as when he left, rather than being advanced on the company’s progressive pay schedule, according to the Justice Department.

The Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) of the Labor Department referred the guardsman’s complaint to the Justice Department upon completion of its investigation.

More information about the USERRA law and its mandates is here .

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