With PA Veterans Unemployment Rate at 7.3%, Casey Unveils Legislation to Combat Job Discrimination Against Returning Troops

Senator Makes Case to Pass Bill that Strengthens Vet Employment Rights

WASHINGTON, DC- With Memorial Day approaching and veteran unemployment in Pennsylvania at 7.3%, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) unveiled legislation today to combat job discrimination that veterans often confront when they return home.

During a conference call, Senator Casey highlighted county-by-county unemployment data for veterans across Pennsylvania and called on Congress to quickly take up and pass his bill, the Servicemembers’ Access to Justice Act.

“The men and women of our armed forces have given their all for our country, and it’s essential that we protect them in the workplace when they come home,” Senator Casey said. “No veteran should face job discrimination when they return from war, and passing this bill will ensure our servicemembers are protected.”

Senator Casey’s bill, the Servicemembers’ Access to Justice Act, would strengthen existing laws that prohibit discrimination against returning veterans at the workplace. Specifically, Senator Casey’s bill would:

• Make it easier for servicemembers to obtain justice when their employment rights are violated by prohibiting employers from requiring servicemembers to give up their ability to have their old job back as condition of employment. For example, under the bill an employer could not force a servicemember to automatically give up his job when he or she is called into service. A service member could voluntarily leave their job upon deployment but could not be forced to as a condition for being hired.

• Enhance the remedies available to servicemembers who prove that their rights under existing veteran anti-discrimination laws were violated, by adding minimum liquidated damages for willful violations and punitive damages for violations committed with malice.

• Require that federal agencies provide notice to contractors of potential Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) obligation.

• Include a provision for a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report requiring study of current employer education programs and soliciting recommendations for ways in which government agencies such as the Small Business Administration and the Defense Department Employer Support for Guard and Reserve could cooperate to enhance employer education.

All across Pennsylvania, veterans face obstacles as they attempt to return the workplace upon coming home. Below is a county-by-county breakdown of veteran unemployment across Pennsylvania:

*SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, 2010 AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY 1-YEAR ESTIMATES

** Data not available for all counties

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