DOL Sues Pipe Company Over Retaliatory Firing

The U.S. Department of Labor on Monday announced that it filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit against a Tyler, Texas-based company over allegations that it fired a worker who had requested to use a respirator to protect against workplace smoke and fumes. The DOL’s lawsuit against Tyler Pipe Co. alleges that the worker was illegally fired in October 2022 after exercising protected rights to request personal protective equipment. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, seeks back wages and reinstatement for the terminated employee. The suit...