December 1, 2004, Introduced by Senators SCHAUER and JACOBS and referred to the Committee on Commerce and Labor.
A bill to grant employment rights to certain volunteers; to
prohibit certain conduct by employers; and to provide remedies.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
1 Sec. 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the
2 "emergency volunteers protection act".
3 Sec. 3. As used in this act:
4 (a) "Employer" means a business, individual, proprietorship,
5 firm, partnership, joint venture, syndicate, business trust,
6 labor organization, company, corporation, association, committee,
7 or any other organization or group of persons acting jointly,
8 including a state agency or a political subdivision of this
9 state, which person or entity employs 1 or more persons in this
10 state.
11 (b) "Volunteer EMT" means an individual who is licensed under
12 the public health code to provide basic life support and who is
1 an officially recognized volunteer member of a medical first
2 responder team.
3 (c) "Volunteer firefighter" means a person who is a volunteer
4 member of a fire department.
5 Sec. 5. An employer shall not discharge or discipline a
6 volunteer firefighter or volunteer EMT for being late or absent
7 from work because he or she was responding to an emergency call.
8 Sec. 7. A court may order reinstatement of the employee,
9 payment of back wages, reinstatement of fringe benefits and
10 seniority rights, actual damages, or any combination of these
11 remedies in a civil action for a violation of this act. A court
12 may also award a complaining employee all or a portion of the
13 costs of litigation, including reasonable attorney fees and
14 witness fees, if the court determines that the award is
15 appropriate.