Ethics Law Within the legal profession, the term legal ethics refers to a code of conduct which oversees proper professional…
Each year there are thousands of workers who witness some sort of wrongdoing on the job. They may discover fraud, abuse, or any type of actions which could jeopardize the well being, safety or lives of other people. Workers may witnesses a food processing plant which sends out contaminated food to consumers, violation of safety considerations at a nuclear facility, fraud that deceives a company’s stockholders, or a chemical company which dumps hazardous waste illegally into waterways. Too many times employees stay silent usually out of the fear of losing their jobs. Others step forward and share the truth risking their profession as well as their own well being to do so. These workers “blow the whistle” on various types of unethical conduct that occurs in the workplace in an attempt to make a difference. Basically, a whistleblower is one who discloses information that they believe to be evidence of some sort of wrongdoing on behalf of a company; or they reveal instances which may be jeopardizing the health and safety of the public in some way. Usually, a whistleblower speaks to influencing parties that can correct the situation. The whistleblower is afforded certain rights and protection by laws that are designed specifically for the purpose of protecting them.
The contractual relationship between an employer and employee, in most jobs within the United States, is considered to be a…
When pursuing a whistleblower case the first step is to carefully check all th laws ans statutes that may apply to your given situation. An example is that although the Whistleblower Protection Act is well?known and has been extensively talked about it only actually covers a small part of the working population. When trying a case and not a federal employee, the case gets covered under different rules of protection altogether. An employment lawyer can work with you to set up some specific laws that pertain to your case if you are going to seek legal recourse.
Media finds whistleblowers as a popular subject and has for a long time. The Enron scandal is remembered by most Americans. Many debate whether the intelligence workers like Edward Snowden or Bradley Manning might qualify as “whistleblowers”. Most are aware of the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 as well that gets formed into the backbone of the whistleblower protection in theUnited States. The history of the concept of a whistleblower dates further back and includes an interesting history that gives the modern law there context.
The Whistleblower Protection Act, or WPA, gives protection from retaliation or persecution to government employees that disclose to the police illegal and improper conduct that goes on in the workplace. The law is to protect any federal employees who uncover some wrongdoing and report it to authorities. Under the WPA, the government agency accused is not allowed to end the employment or “bully” a worker of government contractors, science based agencies like NASA, or national security personnel.