Opinion ID: 545483
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Rhode Island Veterans Seniority Statutes

Text: 4 In 1945, the Rhode Island legislature adopted R.I.Gen.Laws Secs. 30-21-2 and 30-21-3, providing for enhanced seniority in employment for returning war veterans. Section 30-21-2 provides: 5 Any member of the armed forces of the United States or any citizen of the United States who served in the armed forces of the United Nations during World War II shall, upon his reemployment by a prior employer within one year after his honorable discharge from said forces, upon proper proof of his service and the length thereof, be given by such employer in addition to the seniority rights he had when he left said employment, prior to his joining the armed forces, additional seniority rights equal to the time he served in said forces. 6 R.I.Gen.Laws Sec. 30-21-2 (Section 30-21-2). Section 30-21-3 provides: 7 Seniority in new employment--Any member of the armed forces of the United States or any citizen of the United States who served in the armed forces of the United Nations during World War II shall, upon proper proof of his service and the length thereof, upon applying for employment within one year after his honorable discharge from said forces, shall [sic] possess and be given credit for seniority rights equal to the time he served in said forces. 8 R.I.Gen.Laws Sec. 30-21-3 (Section 30-21-3). 9 The legislature also adopted R.I.Gen.Laws Sec. 30-21-7, which provides that Any one [sic] knowingly violating [Section 30-21-2 or 30-21-3] shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars. Later, the legislature extended all Rhode Island statutes granting benefits or privileges to veterans to veterans of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, as well as veterans of any other campaign or war, declared or undeclared, in which the United States Armed Forces engages. See R.I.Gen.Laws Sec. 30-22-3. 10 Since the adoption of Sections 30-21-2 and 30-21-3, plaintiffs say, the Rhode Island Department of Labor and other state officials have not enforced Section 30-21-3, granting seniority credit to veterans securing new employment. However, the State has enforced Section 30-21-2, granting seniority to veterans returning to prior employment. Likewise, municipal employers, including the defendants, have not granted enhanced seniority to newly-employed veterans under Section 30-21-3, but have granted enhanced seniority to re-employed veterans under Section 30-21-2. State and municipal officials, including the defendants, have failed to inform, and have misled, newly-employed veterans about their rights to seniority credit under Section 30-21-3. In contrast, plaintiffs allege, state officials have provided re-employed veterans with information concerning their rights to seniority credit under Section 30-21-2. 11 In June 1985, allegedly in response to the fact that municipal employers in Rhode Island were facing a plethora of requests for enhanced seniority from veterans who had recently discovered Section 30-21-3, the Rhode Island legislature repealed Section 30-21-3, giving the repeal retroactive effect. The Repeal Statute provides: 12 SECTION 1. Section 30-21-3 ... is hereby repealed in its entirety. 13 The provisions of this article are deemed to be severable and the invalidation of any particular provision or section hereof shall not be deemed to affect the validity of any other provisions or sections, all of which are deemed to be independent. 14 SECTION 2. This article shall take effect upon passage and shall be given retroactive effect. 15 R.I.Pub.Law ch. 181, Sec. 64 (the Repeal Statute). 1 Section 30-21-2, providing seniority credit for re-employed veterans, was left in effect. 16