Sears

[Jeeper]

Received this as an email. Does anyone know if it's true?


Subject: Sears - Christmas shopping has already started

I know I needed this reminder since Sears isn't always my first choice. Amazing when you think of how long the war has lasted and they haven't withdrawn from their commitment. Could we each buy at least one thing at Sears this year?

How does Sears treat its employees who are called up for military duty? By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up.

Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up reservist employees for up to two years.

I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution. I suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell them why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement it well deserves.

Pass it on.

Decided to check this before I sent it forward. So I sent the following e-mail to the Sears Customer Service Department:

I received this e-mail and I would like to know if it is true. If it is, the Internet may have just become one very good source of advertis ement for your company. I know I would go out of my way to buy products from Sears instead of another store for a like item, even if it's cheaper at that store.


This is their answer to my e-mail:

Dear Customer:

Thank you for contacting Sears.The information is factual. We appreciate your positive feedback.

Sears regards service to our country as one of greatest sacrifices our young men and women can make. We are happy to do our part to lessen the burden they bear at this time.

Bill Thorn
Sears Customer Care
[email protected]
1-800-349-4358

Please pass this on to all your friends. Sears needs to be recognized for this outstanding contribution and we need to show them as Americans, we do appreciate what they are doing for our military!!!

 

[eschoendorff]

Heard it before, but I don't know if it is true.

 

[TxDoc]

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/sears.asp


Claim: Sears pays the difference in salaries and maintains benefits for their called-up military reservist employees.

Status: True.

Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2003]

I HOPE you have all seen the reports about how Sears is treating its reservist employees who are called up? By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up.

Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up reservist employees for up to two years. I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution.

I suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell them why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement it well deserves.

Pass it on.

Origins: Although many employers look favorably on military service and even encourage it, there are some who find it burdensome to have an employee who spends time away from the job. Military reservists and National Guard members pose a particular challenge to employers because they're subject to recall to active duty at any time — call-ups to active service during times of war may not occur often, but active duty recalls can occur even during peacetime, and nearly every reservist has to take occasional leave from his regular job for monthly drills and annual training.

In order to provide a measure of employment security to reservists subject to active duty recall and minimize the disadvantages that occur when reservists need to be absent from their civilian employment to serve in the uniformed services, the United States enacted the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment
Rights Act (USERRA) in 1994. Codified in Chapter 43, Part III, Title 38 of the United States Code, this act mandates that "any person whose absence from a position of employment is necessitated by reason of service in the uniformed services shall be entitled to reemployment rights and benefits."

Of course, reservists give up more than just their jobs when they're called up for active duty. Although the law may require that their former positions be waiting for them when they return, many reservists still have to deal with the financial hardships of the difference in pay between their civilian jobs and their military positions; as well, other job benefits they may lose out on while on active duty (such as medical insurance coverage or participation in employer bonus plans) are not guaranteed to them. Some employers voluntarily go the extra mile for their reservist employees, making up the difference between their regular pay and their military pay while they're on active duty and ensuring that all employer-sponsored benefits associated with their jobs remain in force. (In most cases, continuing employees' medical benefits does not mean that the employer picks up all the costs of those benefits, but that the employees may opt to maintain the same level of group insurance coverage under the provisions of COBRA.)

Sears is indeed one of the employers who take additional steps to show support for workers involved in serving their country (either in the Reservers or the National Guard) by guaranteeing the continuance of their civilian pay (for up to 60 months) and allowing continued participation in life insurance, medical and dental programs. Although Sears is singled out in this examples, many other American businesses, large and small, do the same for their Reserve and National Guard employees. A listing of such businesses can be found on the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) web site.

Additional information:
Military Support Background Military Support Background
(Sears Holding Corporation)
Last updated: 26 November 2007

 

[Danglerb]

Company I used to work for was the same way, very supportive, no loss of pay or benefits when called up, or for the typical two week stint. I wonder if there isn't a good company list someplace listing all with the same practices?

 

[sunshineFC3s]

Many companies do this. I'm in client service, and I see many of them doing this.
-a

 

[keywestjack]

Just when you think you have the creeps figured out the going and do something decent. Thumbs up for Sears.

 

[Ign]

I wonder if there isn't a good company list someplace listing all with the same practices?

If you read the last paragraph of post #3 (directly above yours) you might find that info.

 

[Farmall450]

Bump...was gonna make a thread on this myself.

 

[mensa]

One good deed does not mitigate their many deeds of debauchery.

 

[Jeeper]

That original post is weird. I don't remember writing it and it's not something I would normally comment on. Wonder if I got hacked back in 2007.

 

[theluke]

I still buy stuff at Sears. Right now between Christmas and and them losing money you can get all kinds of deals and not just on tools.

 

[royesses]

I've already spent $400.00 at Sears this month. They give me a military discount in the store. I've got some pretty good deals there. My local Sears has some really nice people working and they are worried about their jobs. I support them as much as I can.

 

[rednotch]

it was true when I worked for them, not sure now though, that's was over a decade ago. I've bought a lot of stuff from there over the past few years, but since I found that SYWR stuff, I don't see them making any profit on the small stuff I've been buying.

 

[Silver Heels]

I was a reservist called to active duty twice for a timeframe totaling 2 years, and as for being supportive of its servicemen by keeping their job open, that (as others have said) is the law. If they want to pat themselves on the back for doing so, fine, but that does not mean they are going above and beyond or anything.

As far as paying the wage difference, that's nice and everything, but even an E-1 placed on active duty with hazardous duty pay is going to make more than 95% of the Sears employees. Not that our servicemen our overpaid by any means, or the store employees are underpaid, just saying that that statement is really a non-issue.

As for health benefits, again, servicemen are covered under military healthcare, so I am unsure why they would elect to continue their regular employer healthcare.

Not trying to bash Sears for publically announcing their support of the military, I just am putting the extra "burden" that Sears is proudly taking on in perspective. I think they are making this known in an attempt to gather any support for their struggling company they can (at least more so than to selflessly support those who serve).

 

[mmack66]

I was a reservist called to active duty twice for a timeframe totaling 2 years, and as for being supportive of its servicemen by keeping their job open, that (as others have said) is the law. If they want to pat themselves on the back for doing so, fine, but that does not mean they are going above and beyond or anything.

As far as paying the wage difference, that's nice and everything, but even an E-1 placed on active duty with hazardous duty pay is going to make more than 95% of the Sears employees. Not that our servicemen our overpaid by any means, or the store employees are underpaid, just saying that that statement is really a non-issue.

As for health benefits, again, servicemen are covered under military healthcare, so I am unsure why they would elect to continue their regular employer healthcare.

Not trying to bash Sears for publically announcing their support of the military, I just am putting the extra "burden" that Sears is proudly taking on in perspective. I think they are making this known in an attempt to gather any support for their struggling company they can (at least more so than to selflessly support those who serve).

First, this thread was started 7 years ago, and second, Sears isn't the one that brought it to public attention, and third, they aren't the only company that does this.

 

[Silver Heels]

First, this thread was started 7 years ago, and second, Sears isn't the one that brought it to public attention, and third, they aren't the only company that does this.

I do not recall claiming they sent this particular email- but they are very public for their support of their military employees, just check their website

 

[espyking83]

Costco paid for all the raises I would have gotten, military friendly place for sure.

 

[mensa]

I was a reservist called to active duty twice for a timeframe totaling 2 years, and as for being supportive of its servicemen by keeping their job open, that (as others have said) is the law. If they want to pat themselves on the back for doing so, fine, but that does not mean they are going above and beyond or anything.

As far as paying the wage difference, that's nice and everything, but even an E-1 placed on active duty with hazardous duty pay is going to make more than 95% of the Sears employees. Not that our servicemen our overpaid by any means, or the store employees are underpaid, just saying that that statement is really a non-issue.

As for health benefits, again, servicemen are covered under military healthcare, so I am unsure why they would elect to continue their regular employer healthcare.

Not trying to bash Sears for publically announcing their support of the military, I just am putting the extra "burden" that Sears is proudly taking on in perspective. I think they are making this known in an attempt to gather any support for their struggling company they can (at least more so than to selflessly support those who serve).

I just felt that this....^....^^.....^.........should be read again.

 

[mmack66]

I just felt that this....^....^^.....^.........should be read again.

What was so great about it?

 

[OutsideMachinist]

What was so great about it?

Some people dont understand that if sears did put the story out there it is a marketing and PR move to generate revenue. It isn't out of the kindness of their hearts. Seems like common sense to some, but not everyone.

 

[mensa]

Some people dont understand that if sears did put the story out there it is a marketing and PR move to generate revenue. It isn't out of the kindness of their hearts. Seems like common sense to some, but not everyone.

 

[mmack66]

Some people dont understand that if sears did put the story out there it is a marketing and PR move to generate revenue. It isn't out of the kindness of their hearts. Seems like common sense to some, but not everyone.

Other people read too much into things as well.

Military discounts are a marketing and PR move as well, but most people don't disparage the companies that offer them.

Now, if 7 years ago, Sears started an email campaign to raise awareness of their treatment of their employees in the military, in hopes to increase sales, well, it didn't work.

 

[Farmall450]

Some people dont understand that if sears did put the story out there it is a marketing and PR move to generate revenue. It isn't out of the kindness of their hearts. Seems like common sense to some, but not everyone.

Sears did not advertise this story...an individual did.
I don't understand why all this negativity...even if they did make it purely for PR...it's still a great thing to do that the law does not require.