USCA 9th: Whistleblower Liability for Suspension After Safety Com

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently ruled that an employer did violate the whistleblower protection provision of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act when it suspended an employee without pay shortly after he voiced safety complaints. In CalMat Co. v. Us Dep't Of Labor (04/19/04 - No. 02-73199), Robert E. Germann, a 20 year employee of CalMat, was elected local union shop steward in 1996. On April 25, 1998, a fellow employee told Germann that three drivers had worked for more than fifteen hours the previous day, in violation of California and federal safe...