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Congratulations! Correct Answer!

Whistleblower

C.  An employee who reports employer wrongdoing to a governmental or law-enforcement agency.

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Legal Definition -
 
An employee who reports employer wrongdoing to a governmental or law-enforcement agency.
Black's Law Dictionary® Eighth Edition © 2004


Current Usage - 

NY Railroad Ordered to Pay $300,000 for Retaliating Against Workers
Jun 23, 2009
According to OSHA, whistleblower investigations have found that the Metro North Commuter Railroad Co. retaliated against four employees who reported work-related injuries. The agency has ordered the railroad, which provides commuter rail service in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, to take corrective actions and pay back wages, fees, and a total of $300,000 in punitive damages.
"Railroad employees have the right to report occupational injuries and illnesses without fear that doing so will negatively affect their jobs, their health, or their income," said Jordan Barab, acting U.S. assistant secretary of labor for safety and health. "Retaliating against employees for exercising this basic, legally protected workplace right is unacceptable."
The employees, who sustained on-the-job injuries in 2007 and 2008, filed whistleblower complaints with OSHA alleging that the railroad disciplined them for reporting their injuries, interfered with their medical treatment plans, and/or reclassified injuries from occupational to non-occupational. OSHA's investigations, conducted under the whistleblower provisions of the Federal Rail Safety Act (FRSA), found merit to the complaints.
As a result of its findings, OSHA has ordered Metro North to take corrective actions including expunging disciplinary actions and references to them from various records; compensating the workers for lost wages or out-of-pocket medical expenses and attorneys' fees; amending its attendance policy so that work-related sick leave not be considered when assessing unsatisfactory attendance or transfer or promotion requests; ensuring that reporting occupational illnesses or injuries does not disqualify employees from transfers or promotions; and paying each complainant $75,000 in punitive damages. The railroad also must post and provide its employees with information on their FRSA whistleblower rights. (The Department of Labor does not release names of employees involved in whistleblower complaints.)


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