This month, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) publicly released its 2017 Annual Report to Congress. Overall confidence in the ability of OSC to protect federal employees has increased. Nonetheless, there are still areas for improvement regarding OSC’s handling of whistleblower reports.
Continue Reading
Senator Grassley Reminds FBI Agents of Their Whistleblower Rights
Longtime advocate of whistleblower protections Sen. Chuck Grassley delivered a strongly-worded floor statement to the United States Senate on Thursday, saying that FBI whistleblowers, and all federal law enforcement agents, are protected when reporting misconduct to Congress, and they should not fear retaliation. The Senator from Iowa and Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee cleared up any misconception of agents not being able to approach Congress without a subpoena.
Continue Reading
100 Days to National Whistleblower Day 2018!
Today marks the 100-day countdown to National Whistleblower Day, celebrated each year on July 30th.
National Whistleblower Day commemorates the passing of America’s first whistleblower law on July 30th, 1778. This visionary action, taken during the height of the American Revolution, stands as a testament to the importance of whistleblowing in U.S. history.
LuxLeaks: Antoine Deltour Recognized as Whistleblower by Luxembourg Court
LUXEMBOURG CITY, LUXEMBOURG | January 11, 2018 — A Luxembourg court today has overturned the verdict against a “LuxLeaks” whistleblower who was convicted of leaking thousands of documents that revealed tax breaks for multinational firms. Former PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) employee Antoine Deltour was serving a six-month suspended sentence for leaking files related to tax-evasion schemes.
Continue Reading
Chemical Safety Board Reneges on Recommended Whistleblower Protections
At a meeting last week, the Chemical Safety Board (CSB) announced that it would reverse its recommendation to institute whistleblower protections to workers on offshore oil rigs. This unfortunate turn will be bad for workers, destructive to the environment, and quite possibly even harmful to the energy industry.
Continue Reading
OSHA Launches Whistleblower Severe Violator Pilot in Kansas City Region
On May 31, 2016 the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced it had launched a pilot for its first severe violator enforcement program for employers that continually and willfully disregard the rights of whistleblowers.
OSHA’s “Whistleblower-Severe Violator Enforcement Program” will be similar to its enforcement Severe Violator Enforcement Program which includes employers that routinely ignore federal workplace safety and health regulations. W-SVEP became effective on May 27, 2016, in the agency’s Kansas City Region, which includes employers in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, and those companies under federal enforcement in Iowa.
Continue Reading