County woman testifies on military jobs law

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MADAWASKA – It’s no secret that active military duty, whether in times of peace or war, can place strains on family members left at home.

Last week, one St. John Valley woman traveled to Washington, D.C., to testify in support of a law that is designed to ease those pressures, but, she says, is falling woefully short.

Michelle Dumond, 34, knows firsthand the ups and downs that come with living in a military family. She is a third-generation veteran – both her father and grandfather served in the U.S. Army and Dumond is a disabled Gulf War veteran. The mother of two has spent the last five months at home with her daughters while her husband, Dean Dumond, serves in Iraq.

Dean Dumond is a member of the 112th Medical Company Air Ambulance National Guard Unit based in Bangor, which flies medical evacuation helicopters.

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act is aimed at helping families like the Dumonds minimize disadvantages that occur to Guard and reservist personnel while on deployment.

In her testimony, Dumond told the U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs that the law needs to be strengthened to protect the jobs of military personnel who must leave – often at a moment’s notice – on active duty.

“This law is supposed to protect the military personnel’s jobs while they are on duty,” Dumond said last week. “But there are still clauses [in the law] that allow big companies to find ways around them.”

Dumond said she speaks from experience. Her husband’s unit, activated in March, was given less than 24 hours to report for duty. A month later he was flying missions in Iraq.

At the same time her husband was risking his life, Dumond said, she heard rumors his job as an electrician at Nexfor Fraser Papers Inc. in Madawaska was in jeopardy.

“Right now he is on the lay-off list,” she said.

As part of cutbacks at the mill, the company had announced this spring the possible termination of more than 150 positions at the Madawaska facility. It was hoped most of the cuts would come through retirements and attrition.

In the case of Dean Dumond, his wife learned he had been downgraded to the “spare pool,” a group of employees who work on an as-needed basis, filling in for full-time workers who are on vacation or sick leave.

“After nine years of working at the mill, now he’s at the bottom of the list,” Michelle Dumond said. “This leaves us in limbo.”

Michelle Dumond is certain the move to cut her husband’s hours came as a direct result of his being in Iraq.

Nothing could be further from the truth, said Paul Gendreau, Fraser human resources representative, Saturday afternoon.

“As far as I know, we have not laid anyone off at the mill,” Gendreau said. “As part of our reductions, positions have been backed off.”

Among those, he said, were five electrician jobs, including that of Dumond, who, Gendreau said, is currently on military leave status from the mill.

“His being in Iraq did not put him at a disadvantage when it came to the reductions,” he said.

The Dumonds, he said, still enjoy the full employee and dependent benefits from Dean Dumond’s position at the mill and are eligible to participate in special counseling offered through the company.

Gendreau said Dumond has a job waiting for him when he returns from active duty. “It may be as an electrician – it all depends on how things go,” he said, adding that “this is a competitive industry, and we want to be here five or 10 years from now.”

The stress of the job reduction, Michelle Dumond said, has placed her family in a precarious position financially and emotionally.

“My husband is over there flying helicopters and getting shot at,” she said. “He shouldn’t have to worry about if he still has a job.”

At the same time, the couple’s two daughters, Casey, 8, and Nikki, 5, are feeling the strain.

“Casey had been singled out at school by teachers because her father is in the war,” Michelle Dumond said. “I don’t find too many people in Madawaska very supportive of what the members of our military are doing.”

It is just this kind of situation the Employment and Reemployment Rights Act is intended to cushion.

“Our brave military personnel are selflessly risking their lives overseas [and] many of these individuals, like Dean Dumond, are leaving behind family who depend on them,” Maine’s 2nd District Congressman Michael Michaud said. “These families must endure not only the emotional strain of knowing a loved one is in harm’s way, but in many cases, they must fight through these increasingly difficult economic times.”

Michaud invited Dumond to come to Washington to testify on the effectiveness of the act.

“It was a huge honor to go there and speak for the thousands of military families who are impacted by this law,” she said. “At the hearing I heard from big companies like Wal-Mart and the United States Postal Service and all the wonderful things they are doing for their veterans. Here is Fraser – a company my husband devoted his life to and they don’t give a damn about him.”

Gendreau disagrees. “Fraser is very supportive of our veterans – I would guess 50 percent of our work force at the mill comes from a military background,” he said.

Michelle Dumond said she is perfectly capable of handling the day-to-day operations of their home, but the added pressures of not knowing her husband’s employment status is making it difficult. The Employment and Reemployment Act should protect her from that worry, she said.

Michaud has pressed for more effective services and transition assistance to families living in remote or rural areas.

“There is really no support for us up here,” Michelle Dumond said.