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Nov. 2, 2005
King County was honored this week for its effort to ensure that county employees retain their benefits and don't lose pay while in active reserve duty with the military. The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a national agency within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs made King County a five-star employer.
"Reserves who are called to active duty face so many pressures and worries when they are separated from their families, home and civilian jobs," said Executive Sims. "We wanted to make sure that our employees in the military reserves didn't have to worry about their pay and benefits while serving our country."
Presented by state and local representatives of the National Committee for ESGR, the county received the highest level of this recognition based on policies that provide continued and extraordinary support to employees called to military service over potentially longer periods of time and greater frequency. These policies include continuation of health and life insurance benefits for employees and their families and the availability of paid military leave of absence to provide the same income level for employees who are called up to serve in an active duty capacity.
"King County is proud of its employees who also demonstrate their dedication to our country through service with the National Guard and Reserves," Sims added. "Our policy ensures that our employees don't suffer financially when their military reserve units are called to serve. In doing this, we are ensuring that these exceptional American men and women can help others in times of need."
The ESGR was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve component members and their civilian employers to assist in supporting the employee's military commitment. The success of the nation's defense is dependent on the availability of highly trained members of the total military force and the ESGR's mission is to obtain employer and community support to ensure the availability and readiness of Reserve forces. More information about the ESGR and about the Five-Star Employer Program is available online.
Updated: Nov. 2, 2005
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