WOOSTER − Nearly 100 Wayne County businesses, including the city of Wooster, are vowing to not discriminate against military reservists when called from their civilian jobs to active duty or training.

Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Samira Zimmerly, who organized a signing event as part of its Business After Hours series for local employers, was first to sign the non-binding pledge.

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Thursday's event was the result of a partnership between the chamber and the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, an advocacy group that operates in the U.S. Department of Defense, according to the chamber.

Speaking at the event of over 100 guests was Steve Sivers, president and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, who also signed the statement.

"By signing the statement of support, we all promise to advocate and support our servicemen and women in the workforce," Sivers told the crowd.

Civilian life clashes with military life

Sivers, a former major general in the National Guard, has heard stories of civilian life clashing with military life.

It's nothing new, he said, and the difficulty faced by reservists who leave their day jobs for service is real.

While it is illegal for service members to be fired from their jobs for service or training, they can face repercussions in the workplace, Sivers said.

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Deborah Ashenhurst, director of the Ohio Department of Veterans Services and an Army and National Guard retiree, said the consequences can result in poorer pay.

She recalled a time when a soldier under her command said he could not be deployed to South America where his unit would help distribute cholera-related medical aid.

"I decided I would go over to the car dealership where he worked and talk to his boss," Ashenhurst said at the event.

Worried he would be assigned warranty work that pays less, the soldier told her not to confront his boss.

"This is the issue we're dealing with," she said.

Balancing military and work life is a 'complex issue'

Ashenhurst acknowledged it is a "complex issue."

Servicewomen and men are hard-working and adaptable, she said, but employers know they could be called away, leaving a hole.

That gap often needs to be filled, either by the other employees or by hiring someone new.

"So what do they do when (service members) leave?" Ashenhurst asked.

With local employers signing the statement of intent, Ashenhurst hopes the ESGR and businesses will continue to work together.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Wayne employers sign Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve pledge