NEWS INFORMATION FROM

THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED
City of Harrisburg
King City Government Center
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1678
Telephone: 255.3040

FOR IMMEDIATE USE
14 April 2003

DEPLOYED CITY NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE TROOPS DO NOT SUFFER FINANCIAL HARM UNDER MAYORAL POLICY

Harrisburg, PA—Mayor Stephen R. Reed today disclosed the Military Pay and Benefits Policy which affects city employees belonging to National Guard or military Reserve Units who are activated and deployed to war or peacekeeping operations.

“When our fellow citizens are willing to risk their lives and place themselves in harm’s way in military service to our Nation, they should not also run the risk of financial detriment to themselves, their families and their home,” Reed said.

Under the policy established by mayoral Executive Order, any city employee in a Guard or Reserve Unit activated on the order of the President or U.S. Department of Defense, such as those now serving in the war effort involving Iraq, will:

• Receive the difference in pay between what they would make working full-time with the city and their military pay; military pay, even with combat pay, is nearly always substantially less; deployed employees will also
• Receive full benefits coverage while deployed, meaning their family is also covered while they are gone.

None of the city pay and benefits provisions are required under any law. Federal law merely stipulates that the military service member’s job must be available upon the individual’s return from duty.

“With the events in the Middle East and peacekeeping duties elsewhere, many of the Guard and Reserve deployments are for extended periods of time. The longer the deployment, the greater the financial hit these personnel would suffer. The loss of income places their homes at risk, runs up debt on the family, and is a source of great difficulty for many military personnel,” Reed said. “Our troops deserve and have earned our support. They should not be placed at financial risk while they are serving our country,” the Mayor said, noting that today’s military involves a greater reliance upon Guard and Reserve troops to fulfill military missions.

Reed said 13 city employees, ranging in rank from private to airman to Colonel, have been activated. Some were deployed immediately after Sept. 11, 2001, and have not returned to city duties yet. Others were deployed, returned and have been activated again. At least 3 more employees are expected to be activated in the coming weeks

The military pay and benefits policy has been in place since the Mayor first issued the Executive Order more than thirteen years ago to protect city employees called to Guard and Reserve service in the first Gulf War.

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