Wi-FiAlliance Allegedly Axed Army Reservist for Being Called Up. Now the Empire Strikes Back
2nd March 2018
The US Department of Justice on Thursday filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against the Wi-Fi Alliance – a non-profit based in Austin, Texas, that promotes Wi-Fi technology and standards – for allegedly laying off an employee because of his ongoing military service obligations.
The government’s complaint, filed on behalf of Charles O’Donnell, a Lieutenant Colonel with the US Army Reserve, claimed the alliance violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994, a law designed to prevent private employers from discriminating against military personnel for fulfilling service obligations.
In a statement, John Gore, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the DoJ’s Civil Rights Division, said on Thursday the complaint underscores the DoJ’s commitment to protecting members of the military. “The men and women of our armed services expect and are entitled to the peace of mind of knowing that their civilian employment will not be jeopardized because they serve our country,” he said.
Pity that we have to depend on a British tech site to report on this incident. Austin is, of course, the Blue pustule on the rosy Red butt of Texas; the state topography is such that all Leftys drain into Travis County (unless they can catch ahold of the other major metropolitan areas in the state).