BILLINGS, Mont. – Montana Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (Montana ESGR) volunteer Joe Fletcher attended the Montana Association of Counties (MACo) annual conference September 25-28 in Billings, Montana at the Billings Hotel & Convention Center. Elected officials from across the state attended.

ESGR is celebrating 50 years of supporting workplaces that value employing National Guard and Reserve members. Fletcher spoke one-on-one with attendees, sharing information about ESGR and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). USERRA is a Federal law that establishes rights and responsibilities for uniformed Service members and their civilian employers.

Several county officials approached Fletcher thanking ESGR for educating them in the past about the Department of Defense program. One commissioner stated he appreciated ESGR for the information their county used to decipher their rights and responsibilities as an employer when a guard member was called up to fulfill his military obligations after just a week on the job. Information from ESGR allowed the county to correctly handle the situation both before and after the deployment. They told him to be safe and come back when the tour was finished. The Reserve component member returned to his position following the deployment. For more information about ESGR visit ESGR.mil.

MACo is a member services organization, and represents the wide-ranging interests of 56 member counties through education and advocacy. The conference offered a unique opportunity to build and strengthen relationships between counties.

Photo: Montana Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve volunteer Joe Fletcher and Broadwater County Commissioner Darrel Folkvord showcase the ESGR table at the Montana Association of Counties meeting in Billings this past September. ESGR provided information to attendees and answered questions regarding the Uniformed Services Employment Reemployment Rights Act.