The EEOC, OSHA and many other public agencies encourage whistleblowing. They want employees to let them know when their employers are engaged in dangerous, illegal or discriminatory behavior. But what happens after an employee blow the whistle on his or her employer,...
Whistleblower Protection
A spotlight on whistleblower retaliation in the Bureau of Prisons
The Bureau of Prisons is responsible for keeping prisoners locked away. However, it may have locked away much more than that. The Bureau has long drawn unwanted attention for its culture of secrecy and coverups, and new cracks have exposed a scandalous series of...
What should whistleblowers know before they act?
The government relies on whistleblowers to protect us from public health concerns, tax theft and abuses of power. For this reason, there are dozens of laws protecting whistleblowers from retaliation. However, many whistleblowers still find themselves unprotected after...
Prospective law seeks to provide workers with some protective armor
Acclaimed American author Joseph Heller is synonymous with the widely known phrase “Catch-22.” Legions of people are not only familiar with its meaning, but see its applications play out in very personal terms in their lives. Take the federal employment realm, for...
Commanding broad support: call for expanded whistleblower safeguards
The Government Accountability Project. The National Federation of Federal Employees. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics. The Project of Government Oversight. Whistleblowers of America. What does a list of entities like that – broad in itself, but supplemented...
Qui tam lawsuits: on behalf of the federal government
Not every working individual in the United States is routinely happy with what goes on at work, of course. Some employees are harassed by managers or coworkers. Others are discriminated against because of a core attribute such as race, gender, age, national origin or...
A continuing look at gag orders in the whistleblowing context
Know your rights. Don’t be frightened and intimidated by chilling actions aimed at stifling what you feel is important to say. And don’t “sit on information that could help your agency and your country.” Those words of advice are passionately conveyed by principals...
An introduction to gag orders and their whistleblowing relevance
Americans harbor strong views regarding government integrity. That is strongly evidenced by federal protections accorded individuals who take risks in stepping forward to report acts of wrongdoing in agencies and other work venues. Relevant safeguards seek to shelter...
A continuing look at whistleblowing activity: Are there clarifying standards?
A recent Forbes article terms it “a major question.” That assessment seems squarely on the mark regarding government and corporate whistleblowers who consider taking action to spotlight an employer’s unlawful conduct. Doing so can be an uncertain and risk-laden...
Protected or unlawful: The whistleblowing line can be “blurry”
Following is a scenario that plays out in very real-world terms for select federal employees working in myriad agencies and departments. To wit: You’re a federal worker who has learned that managers at your workplace are breaking laws that harm the public interest....
