http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-13-whistle-blowers-lose-jobs_N.htmU.S. lets whistle-blowers lose jobs
By Peter Eisler, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — The federal government is sanctioning agreements that cost whistle-blowers their jobs after they expose safety and security lapses at nuclear facilities and toxic waste sites, Labor Department records show.
Federal law requires the department to safeguard whistle-blowers from reprisals and approve settlements of their retaliation claims against private or federal employers. Yet 45 of 73 settlements approved since 2000 involving whistle-blowers who complained of environmental and nuclear safety problems included permanent bans on working for the employer.
FALLOUT: Had to accept 'defeat,' says whistleblower
Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a statement that the clauses amount to blacklisting, which is barred under whistle-blower protection laws. He promised to investigate their use: "It is especially troubling to now learn that our own Department of Labor … is recklessly approving (employment bans) to the detriment of individuals who had the audacity to report wrongdoing."
The employment bans stem from cases in which companies settled charges that they wrongly fired or disciplined whistle-blowers. In some cases, the settlements came after state or federal authorities validated the workers' concerns about safety and health issues.
The Labor Department released the agreements under a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Government Accountability Project (GAP), a whistleblower advocacy group that provided the records to USA TODAY.
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