Some thoughts about Craftsman tools versus the BORG's

[Scott T Smith]

Occasionally I have the need to make a new tool acquisition, of something where the BORG's or Sears has a suitable product (and that I would not shop for at a woodworking store).

When I have these needs, I recall how Sears made a corporate decision to support their employees who were called up for duty in the military reserves in the wake of 9-11.

Federal law requires that employers rehire any employee who was called to active duty, after they return from active duty. However, often times the military salary is much less than what the reservist made in their civilian job, and it creates a financial hardship on the individuals and their families during the time that they are called back to active duty.

Sears goes above and beyond what they law requires, as Sears will guarantee the continuance of their employees civilian pay - and benefit eligibility - for up to five years after the employee is called back to active duty. They do this apparently because the management at Sears feels that it is the "right thing to do".

I like that, as it shows a commitment back to some fellow Americans that have made significant sacrifices for our country. It also shows a commitment to the values that made our country great.

Whenever I have a new item to purchase, and Craftsman makes a suitable product, I try to keep that in mind. Since we're in the season when we all make a lot of purchases, I thought that I'd share these thoughts.

I'm not associated with Sears in any way, nor a member of the military, I just respect it when companies "walk the talk".

You can verify this on Snopes - just do a search on "Sears Military Pay".

[Stephen Edwards]

Thanks for sharing this information.

[Josh Reet]

FWIW (and just to be fair):

Home Depot does the same thing and was a recipient of the ESGR (employer support of guard and reserve) Freedom award in 2004. That's one year prior to Sears receiving it in 2005:

http://www.freedomaward.mil/PastRecipients/2004.aspx

Link to info on HD's corporate site (http://corporate.homedepot.com/wps/portal/%21ut/p/c0/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDdwNHH0sfE3M3AzMPJ8 MAQ1cDKNAvyHZUBADh5Jl9/)

Lot of good companies doing the right thing for their guard/reserve employees: Starbucks, Microsoft, GE, Harley-Davidson, Toyota of America, Miller, Coors, UPS, and so on.

[Dave Gaul]

Scott,

Are you saying that Sears will continue to pay their employees the difference between their military pay and their civilian pay? Or does Sears continue to pay them their full civilian pay while on active duty?

I work for a large electric utility company, and when a reservist gets activated, my company will continue to pay them their salary minus their military pay, so they don't get paid any less, but no more either.

Anyone who supports our military in anyway is awesome in my book (6 years active duty US Navy myself), but if Sears is going WAY above the law and paying them their full Sears wages... then that is truly commendable!!!

[Josh Reet]

Scott,

Are you saying that Sears will continue to pay their employees the difference between their military pay and their civilian pay? Or does Sears continue to pay them their full civilian pay while on active duty?

I work for a large electric utility company, and when a reservist gets activated, my company will continue to pay them their salary minus their military pay, so they don't get paid any less, but no more either.


Most of these companies pay the difference between the civilian pay and the military pay. The idea being that stopping their life to serve the country shouldn't bring any more hardship than separation from loved ones and possible death already do.

While they might want to, I can't imagine any company being able to justify paying full salary for an employee who isn't there. It's a nice thought, and I do think our men and women in the military are underpaid for the job they do. But it's just not economically feasible. It has to be tough enough for some of the smaller companies to swing the difference between civilian and military salaries.

[Josh Reet]

Direct from Sears's page on the subject:


In September 2004, the company extended its military pay differential (fills the gap between military pay and employer pay) and benefits continuation to 60 months for eligible employees called to duty in the Reserves or National Guard.

http://www.searsholdings.com/communityrelations/hero/military.htm

[Dave Gaul]

Thanks Josh! That answers my question. Didn't think it sounded feasible for them to pay full wages... but just wanted to know for sure!

I can tell first hand the military pay can be tough to live off of, especially if you have a family, but my training got me where I am today, so it definitely paid off!

[rob mclaughlin]

Add to that list one of the "evil" health insurers - Cigna Healthcare. A colleague of mine has been called up 3 times in the past 5 yrs (USAR medical corp) and the company has stepped in to cover the pay differential each time. This is no small contribution. There sure are a lot of good people out there. . .

[Scott T Smith]

FWIW (and just to be fair):

Home Depot does the same thing and was a recipient of the ESGR (employer support of guard and reserve) Freedom award in 2004. That's one year prior to Sears receiving it in 2005:

http://www.freedomaward.mil/PastRecipients/2004.aspx

Link to info on HD's corporate site (http://corporate.homedepot.com/wps/portal/%21ut/p/c0/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDdwNHH0sfE3M3AzMPJ8 MAQ1cDKNAvyHZUBADh5Jl9/)

Lot of good companies doing the right thing for their guard/reserve employees: Starbucks, Microsoft, GE, Harley-Davidson, Toyota of America, Miller, Coors, UPS, and so on.


Josh, that's great info about Home Depot; I was not aware of it. From reading their corporate site, they really go out of their way to hire ex-military personnel.

I could not find information about if there is a limit to how long HD will make up the difference in the employees pay (civilian versus military); do you know if there is a time limit?

Thx.

Scott