Returning Veterans Get Dibs On Old Jobs

Danielle Urban, a partner in the Denver office, was quoted in the February 24 Denver Business Journal article "Returning Veterans Get Dibs On Old Jobs." The article noted that the end to major U.S. involvement in the war in Iraq has meant that nearly 40,000 U.S. soldiers are coming home, and many want their old jobs back. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) protects individuals in the armed forces who voluntarily or involuntarily leave their employment to serve in the military. Danielle said: "It's a tough law for employers, and now that we have all these people returning, they [employers] have to be sure they are complying with that law. As an employer, you want to be really, really careful and err on the side of giving the service member every benefit of the doubt." She added that employers need to make sure they know the law before taking any action that could upset the service member. "The law is less forgiving of honest mistakes. You have to follow it to the letter."