A hotel management company was recently forced to pay a worker $22,225 in back wages and compensatory damages after he was terminated for voicing workplace safety concerns.
The employee, who worked at the True North Devens Conference Center, filed a whistleblower complaint with OSHA after he was subjected to disciplinary action and later terminated for reporting concerns of workplace safety to his managers in October 2011. Subsequently after the employee filed his claim, OSHA conducted its own investigation of the property and found that superiors had acted unjustly and that there was merit to the employee’s claim.
In response to the investigation, True North agreed to a settlement with the employee by paying back wages and compensatory damages, as well as expunging all disciplinary references and record of termination to the employee’s work file. The company pledged to take corrective action to prevent similar incidents from occurring by agreeing to educate its employees about workplace safety awareness and establishing a policy to protect against employee discrimination when they voice safety concerns. More specifically, True North implemented all of its locations with OSHA posters that outlined whistle-blower facts, and has planned to provide all of its employees with yearly training on whistle-blower rights and employer responsibilities.
Under OSHA law, employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who raise concerns about their workplace, or who provide protected information to the employer or to the government. The United States government has come to rely heavily upon the help of whistleblowers who are able to provide sensitive information regarding company misconduct.
Most whistleblowers are internal whistleblowers who report misconduct about a coworker or superior within their company. While misconduct can take place in a wide range of settings, some of the more common types of fraud include:
• Pharmaceutical Fraud • Health and Safety Violations • Healthcare and Medicare Fraud • Securities and SEC Fraud • Financial and Bank Fraud
Protecting public health and safety is of great importance, and various Massachusetts laws recognize that. Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 149 Sections 185 and 187, are designed to advance public health and safety by providing whistleblower protections for employees who report unhealthy practices and for public employees who report conduct reasonably believed to put the public safety, health, or environment at risk.
When you do the right thing and report an unsafe, unhealthy or illegal practice of your employer, it is against the law for you to be discriminated against, harassed, or terminated from your job by your employer. If you have been the victim of discrimination after voicing concerns about workplace safety, or if you would like to file a Massachusetts whistleblower case, call one of our attorneys at Altman & Altman as soon as possible for a free consultation. Whistleblower cases are extremely complex, and it is advised that you hire an experienced Boston Whistleblower Attorney. At the law offices of Altman & Altman, we have nearly 50 years of experience handling whistleblower cases and we understand the courage it takes to report company misconduct to the proper authorities. Our dedicated Boston Whistleblower Attorneys will stand by your side throughout the entire process while carefully protecting your rights and privacy. We are available around the clock to guide you through every step of your case.