• Qui Tam
  • SEC
  • CFTC
  • FCPA
  • Whistleblower Resources
  • FAQS
Subscribe
Donate
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
The Truth at Any Cost.
Qui Tam, Compliance and Anti-Corruption News.
SIGN THE PETITION FOR NATIONAL WHISTLEBLOWER DAY IN 2023
Whistleblower Network News
  • Qui Tam
  • SEC
  • CFTC
  • FCPA
  • Whistleblower Resources
  • FAQS
Subscribe
Donate
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
No Result
View All Result
Home News

OSHA Finds Metra Retaliated Against Whistleblower

Mary Jane WilmothbyMary Jane Wilmoth
April 24, 2013
in News, OSHA
Reading Time: 2 mins read
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInEmail

In an April 23, 2013 press release, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced that it found that the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corp., known as Metra, violated the Federal Railroad Safety Act.  The violation occurred when a signalman’s work hours were changed and his position was eliminated after he made a safety complaint. The company is ordered to pay more than $38,080 in overtime, along with interest, compensatory damages and attorney’s fees.

"An employer does not have the right to retaliate against employees who report safety issues," said Nick Walters, OSHA’s regional administrator in Chicago. "When employees can’t report safety concerns on the job without fear of retaliation, worker safety and, in this case, passenger safety on Metra, becomes a serious concern."

Support Whistleblower Network News

An OSHA investigation upheld the 22-year Metra employee’s allegation that the railroad reduced his overtime hours and eventually eliminated his position in retaliation for reporting a safety complaint on or about Aug. 1, 2011. After the employee reported that signal routes were not tested properly due to time constraints, he began to experience a reduction in overtime hours. Following his complaint filed with the secretary of labor alleging Metra had retaliated against him in violation of the FRSA, his position was eliminated.

OSHA’s investigation found that the reporting of the safety issue was used as a pretext by the employer to reduce overtime and eliminate the employee’s position. Metra provided no explanation for the reduced overtime hours or for eliminating the position so soon after the employee made his safety complaint. 

The railroad carrier has been ordered to remove disciplinary information from the employee’s personnel record and to provide whistle-blower rights information to its employees. Either party in the case can file an appeal with the department’s Office of Administrative Law Judges.

Read OSHA’s Press Release

 

Tags: OSHAWhistleblower LawsWhistleblower News
Previous Post

In Memoriam-Estelle S. Kohn

Next Post

The Humane Society Speaks on Silencing Whistleblowers

Mary Jane Wilmoth

Mary Jane Wilmoth

Mary Jane Wilmoth is the publisher of Whistleblower Network News, where she heads the editorial staff. She writes about breaking whistleblower news, and False Claims Act whistleblowers, SEC whistleblowers, IRS whistleblowers, FCPA whistleblowers, and CFTC whistleblowers. Mary Jane is the managing partner at the whistleblower law firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, and a frequent contributor to The Whistleblower and Qui Tam Blog. She is a licensed attorney in the District of Columbia and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire School of Law (formerly Franklin Pierce Law Center).

Next Post

The Humane Society Speaks on Silencing Whistleblowers

Please login to join discussion

Receive Daily Alerts

Subscribe to receive daily breaking news and legislative developments sent to your inbox.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Most Popular

Whistleblower Jóhannes Stefánsson Plans to Testify at Fishrot Trial in Namibia

WNN Exclusive Interview with Social Security Whistleblowers Sarah Carver and Jennifer Griffith — Part 1

Tell President Biden to “Finish the Job” for Whistleblowers

Change the Culture, Make National Whistleblower Day Permanent

Whistleblower Raised Concerns of Rodents, Spiders in Kitchen of Childcare Facility, Then Fired; OSHA Rules They Were Retaliated Against

U.S. and UK Advocates Come Together for Whistleblowing Awareness Week

Whistleblower Poll

Whistleblower Poll
Whistleblower Poll

Exclusive Marist Poll: Overwhelming Public Support Among Likely Voters For Increased Whistleblower Protections

byGeoff Schweller
October 6, 2020

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

STAY INFORMED.
Subscribe to receive breaking whistleblower updates.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About Us

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Careers

Subscribe

  • Daily Mail
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • YouTube Channel

Contribute

  • Letter to the Editor
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Reprint Guidelines

Your Experience

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Help

  • The Whistleblowers Handbook
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Advertise
Whistleblower Network News

Whistleblower Network News is an independent online newspaper providing our readers with up-to-date information on whistleblowing. Our goal is to be the best source of information on important qui tam, anti-corruption, compliance, and whistleblower law developments. 

Submit an Article

Copyright © 2021, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

This Newspaper/Web Site is made available by the publisher for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this website, you understand that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the Newspaper/Web Site publisher. The Newspaper/Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.

SIGN THE PETITION FOR NATIONAL WHISTLEBLOWER DAY IN 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Exclusives
  • Government
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Federal Employees
    • Intelligence
  • Corporate
    • CFTC & Commodities
    • Dodd-Frank
    • IRS & Tax
    • SEC & Securities
  • Features
  • Legislation
  • International
    • Foreign Corruption
  • Rewards
  • Whistleblower of the Week
  • Environment & Climate
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Employment
    • Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers
    • Retaliation
    • OSHA
  • Media
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • National Whistleblower Day
  • Whistleblower Poll
  • Whistleblower Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Resources for Locating An Attorney
    • The New Whistleblowers Handbook
  • National Whistleblower Day ’23

Copyright © 2020, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

Become a Whistleblower Network News Subscriber

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Subscribe to WNN

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Subscribe to WNN

Add New Playlist

Go to mobile version