Iraq veteran suing company (job filled in his absence)

Iraq veteran suing company
S.D. Guard member says firm violated federal law by not giving old job back

From staff and wire reports

A National Guard soldier recently home from Iraq is suing Sykes Enterprises, saying the company's Bismarck, N.D., branch violated a federal law that guarantees returning soldiers will get their jobs back.

Prior to his deployment, Pfc. Ron Vander Wal, 23, a member of the South Dakota Guard's 200th Engineer Company, worked as a telephone customer service technician with Sykes, a company that provides computer tech support for consumers. He is originally from Pollock, but now resides in Bismarck.

"It was a good homecoming but this has been rather disappointing," Vander Wal said about his problems with Sykes. "I'm the only member of the unit as far as I know who didn't have a job to come back to. It was pretty disappointing to have to start job hunting again."

The 200th Engineer Company, based in Mobridge, Pierre, Chamberlain and Lemmon, was deployed to Iraq in January 2003 and returned to South Dakota in late March of this year. Vander Wal spent his time in Iraq helping to build a bridge, providing security at that span and guarding the 200th's base camp and prisoners of war. He's been with the South Dakota Guard for five years and is a member of the 200th's Mobridge detachment.

Vander Wal said that after he returned from Iraq, a personnel officer at Sykes' Bismarck branch told him no positions were available for him, and that other returning veterans were ''in the same boat.''

(more)

http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/8593320.htm

And this guy expected anything else? He must have thought that "The Heartland" was chock full o' Dems or some such other nonsense.

I guess it means thinking good thoughts while they're away rather than actually taking any action once they're back home. Another nugget of repuglican hypocrisy to add to the mountain.

http://www.sykes.com/english/careers.asp

At SYKES, we're proud of the successful careers we've developed. We want to benefit your future with the opportunities we have to offer! Are you dynamic, dependable, and driven by success? Do you enjoy using your creativity to solve problems? Do you like being rewarded for your achievements? If so, consider using your technical and interpersonal skills to work for a dynamic, successful, global company.

Because we continue to grow, we're always looking for good people, all over the world, to deliver a wide range of information technology outsourcing services including technical support services, customer relationship management skills, software development, and implementation. We offer a competitive benefits package, which include paid vacation, regional health benefits and much more. Our employees enjoy extensive, ongoing training programs to advance their skills and role within the company. Join us. Grow with us. Let's succeed together! Check out the opportunities in our fast-growing company. Who knows? Maybe the next winning career we develop will be yours!

Misty|N|AP Wire | 04/07/2004 | Sykes to close Manhattan, Kan., call center

Sykes Enterprises Inc. plans to close its call center here, resulting in the loss of about 400 jobs.

snip

Burnett said "changing clients' needs and market conditions" have led Sykes to consolidate some plants. The company also has announced plans to close its plants in Ada, Okla., Pikesville, Ky., and Milton-Freewater, Ore. It has closed two others, in Klamath Falls, Ore., and Hazard, Ky., since August.

The "changing needs" means these jobs were moved to India, btw:

Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated Investor Relations: "Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated ('Sykes' or the 'Company') (Nasdaq:SYKE), a global leader in providing outsourced customer management solutions and services, today announced the expansion of its global footprint and offshore solution with its entry into Southern India. The Company also announced a new customer care agreement for Sykes to provide customer support services to a leading financial services company via the new operation in India.
Pursuant to the multi-year customer care agreement, Sykes's customer care agents in India will provide the existing financial services client various customer service applications for their credit card holders located primarily throughout the United States.
The Sykes' wholly owned operation in Bangalore, India will have an initial capacity of 255 seats and run multiple shifts throughout the day. The Company expects to have over 100 dedicated agents in India supporting the financial services company by the mid-fourth quarter. The new center, which went live this week, is integrated into Sykes' Private Global ATM Network, identical to its existing offshore operations, providing for seamless voice and data transmission, dynamic call routing and disaster recovery systems capabilities. These new seats in India combined with an expansion currently under way in the Company's Asia Pacific operations will provide for one of the largest offshore networks available in the industry with nearly 2,500 seats across four countries by the end of 2002. "