FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Suzette Boler 616-891-5633
Karen Mastney Fobbs 734-525-7323 or 313-749-1659

Can you be fired if you spend extra time with your spouse before he or she is sent off to defend America?

Lansing, MI – On May 25, 2006 at 1:00 p.m. Families United, Military Families Fighting for America, and National Urban Policy Action Council (NuPac) and ( other listed groups ) will join together on the steps of the state capitol with supporters and military families from all over the state to show support for a bill in legislature which would allow spouses and parents of service members who are deployed to take up to 30 days off of work without being fired from their job to spend time with the soldier before he or she is deployed that is currently under consideration in the Michigan House and Senate.

Can you be fired if you spend extra time with your spouse before he or she is sent off to defend America?

Suzette Boler, a Caledonia, Michigan woman who took an unpaid leave of absence from work to see her husband off to war was fired after failing to show up for her part-time receptionist job the day following his departure. The rally on the steps of the Capitol Building in Lansing is in support of a bill NuPac proposed and presented to both State Senator Valde Garcia, who is a veteran himself, and Representative John Garfield, Chairman of the Veteran Affairs & Homeland Security Committee, that would protect family members such as Army Spc. Jerry Boler’s wife of 22 years, Suzette.
If you can you be fired if you spend extra time with your spouse before he or she is sent off to defend America, in Michigan and America the answer should be NO!

Never again…

Help defend Michigan military families – join the rally to honor and celebrate Michigan military families!

Never again…

The U. S. Senate & the Illinois legislature have already tackled this problem. Both of these governmental bodies precede the bill currently under consideration by Michigan. The legislation provides entitlement leave to eligible employees whose spouse, son, daughter, or parent is a member of the Armed Forces who is serving on active duty in support of a contingency operation or who is notified of an impending call or order to active duty in support of a contingency operation, and for other purposes.

The men and women of our Armed Forces undertake enormous sacrifices in their service to our country. They spend time away from home and from their families in different parts of the country and different parts of the world and are placed into harm's way in order to protect the American people and our way of life. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude for their dedicated service.

Many of those deployed in Iraq have had their tours extended beyond the time they had expected to stay. This extension has played havoc with the lives of those deployed and their families. Worried mothers, fathers, spouses, and children expecting their loved ones home after more than a year of service have been forced to wait another three or four months before their loved ones' much-anticipated homecoming. The emotional toll is huge. So is the impact on a family's daily functioning as bills still need to be paid, children need to get to school events, and sick family members must still be cared for.

Our men and women in uniform face these challenges without complaint. But we should do more to help them and their families with the many things that preparing to be deployed requires.

They sacrifice – They send their loved ones to pay the ultimate price.
Join the over 500 expected supporters and family members who feel it is important that Michigan legislators help to defend their rights as they stand firm in defending our freedoms.

For more information on rally supporters, to sign a support card or to obtain a copy of the “Michigan Military Family Leave Act” contact Karen Mastney Fobbs at 734-525-7323 or 313-749-1659 or contact her at Karen@kevinfobbs-DOT-com.

Michigan celebrates Memorial Day by standing firm in “Celebrating Michigan’s Military Families Rally” on the steps of the Capitol at 1 PM – 2 PM, Thursday, May 25th