|
President George Bush recently signed into law the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (“Act”). This legislation includes protection for whistleblowers.
The underlying purpose of whistleblower protection is to allow employees to report or testify against illegal or unhealthy actions taken by their employers. The whistleblower provision in the Act protects employees involved in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of consumer goods. It ensures that an employee can report defective and/or hazardous consumer goods to a superior or to a regulatory agency without fear of being discharged or otherwise discriminated against with respect to the employee’s compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment.
The protection extends to an employee who: (1) provided, caused to be provided, or is about to provide or cause to be provided to the employer, the federal government, or a state’s attorney general any information relating to a violation of (or an act or omission the employee reasonable believes to be a violation of) any provision of the Act or related regulations; (2) testified or is about to testify in a proceeding concerning such violations; (3) assisted or participated or is about to assist or participate in such a proceeding; or (4) objected to, or refused to participate in, an activity or task the employee reasonably believed to be in violation of the Act or related regulations.
To speak with an employment law attorney regarding whistleblower protection laws, contact the employment law attorneys at Clouse Dunn LLP at info@cdklawyers.com.
|
