Nicole Mitchell, an Air Force Reserve Officer and a member of the “Hurricane Hunters” team, has accused The Weather Channel and NBC of discrimination and violating her rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994.

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/weather-channel-anchor-says-she-was-fired-over-military-service.html

Deplorable: Before NBC’s purchase of TWC I recall Mitchell’s reporting and that of Warren Madden (LTC USAFR hurricane hunter), during Rita and Katrina. Outstanding jobs and expertise was highly touted. One again media bias is rampant.

quote:

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Mitchell said network executives ordered her to get clearance before agreeing to any military assignments.

“I was told in an email, ‘before you agree to military duty, you need to clear it through us first,’” Mitchell told Fox News Radio. “If you don’t show up for orders, you could be court-martialed.”

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If this allegation is true, then NBC/Universal probably violated the law. That email might win the case for her - except the case is going to arbitration under the terms of her employment contract. Plaintiffs are often severely disadvantaged in arbitration, and she won't have any appeal rights.

The civil side may be true. But those emails would do nicely on the criminal side.

All I gotta say is good luck...I lost my job over a deployment to Cuba for the second Cuban/Haitian migration crisis (a humanitarian mission) and the AUSA here in Houston wouldn't take my case (the state solicitor wouldn't give it to them because I "didn't fit in their matrix" according to a good friend who would have been the attorney prosecuting the case). The final straw was that I was working for a school district when I was called up...you know, the guys who are supposed to be teaching our kids patriotism and citizenship. Go figure.

This has been my big concern over joining the Reserves. If I get let go, I know I probably won't have a fighting chance.

What is wrong with those Guys at NBC-Weather Channel! Are they nuts?! Why wouldn't they do whatever it takes to keep a Hurricane Hunter on staff and use that in their advertising about the credentials of their anchors.
As an aside, I think it takes major courage (a.k.a. cojones) to fly into those hurricanes! All of us who lived on the Gulf Coast owe those Hurricane hunters a debt of gratitude.

I wish her all the best and hope it is resolved in her favor.