UP supervisor honored with Patriot Award

California Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense office (DoD), announced Jan. 4, 2016 that Tracy A. Butler, a supervisor at Union Pacific Railroad (UP) was honored Jan. 2 with a Patriot Award in recognition of extraordinary support of her employee serving in the Guard and Reserve.

Butler was nominated for being highly supportive of the National Guard by her Reserve Component employee, Sgt. Mark Mateo.

“The Patriot Award was created by ESGR to publicly recognize individuals who provide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to their employees, who like the citizen warriors before them, have answered their nation’s call to serve,” said James Combs, California ESGR state chair. “Supportive supervisors are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s Guard and Reserve units.”

Mateo states: “Miss Tracy Butler, supports all military employees in the company.”

ESGR seeks to foster a culture in which all employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the United States. ESGR facilitates and promotes a cooperative culture of employer support for National Guard and Reserve service by developing and advocating mutually beneficial initiatives, recognizing outstanding employer support, increasing awareness of applicable laws and policies, resolving potential conflicts between employers and their service members, and acting as the employers’ principal advocate within DoD. Paramount to ESGR’s mission is encouraging employment of Guardsmen and Reservists who bring integrity, global perspective and proven leadership to the civilian workforce.