From the Ethics Committee of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)11/11/96. The goal of these guidelines
is to provide general advice to engineers, including
engineering managers, who find themselves in conflicts with
management over matters with ethical implications. Much of
this advice is pertinent to more general conflicts within
organizations.
This report emphasizes the right and the obligation of
engineers to raise ethical concerns in the workplace, and
provides guidance on how best to raise such issues. It also
guides companies that want to guarantee a working
environment where employees can feel free to raise
concerns.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act enforces 14
statutes regarding whistleblower protection. This website
provides links to all 14 statutes as well as regulations
and the Whistleblower Investigations Manual, which contains
procedures for investigations of discrimination
complaints
Groups that may offer
help on cases that fall within their domain
This is a nonprofit organization that protects
whistleblowers employed by the federal government and
government regulated industries. Its work concentrates on
the activities of the U.S. Department of Energy and its
contractors; the U.S. Department of Agriculture and food
suppliers; and the Forestry Service and the timber
industry.
A committee which makes recommendations for policies
and/or educational programs to promote the ethical behavior
of members and staff, and shall consider instituting
proceedings, as defined in IEEE Bylaws I-110 and I-111,
related to matters of member and officer discipline and
requests for support.
A nonprofit organization that protects federal, state,
and local government employees who protect the environment.
PEER works with and on behalf of resource professionals -
scientists, land managers, law enforcement officers, and
other professionals - to effect fundamental change in the
way their agencies conduct the public's business.
Specifically, PEER provides an avenue for employees to
anonymously report and publicize agency malfeasance. PEER
also provides legal representation to whistleblowers.
A nonprofit organization chartered to assist
individuals with original information about financial fraud
in the form of false and fraudulent claims for payment
submitted by private entities to the federal government.
The False Claims Act -see the TAF Web site-provides that
whistleblowers may seek damages on behalf of the government
and keep a portion of any funds recovered. It also provides
a right to a jury trial in federal court for individuals
who suffer retaliation as a result of disclosing their
employers false claims.
A new organization founded to assist individuals, both
employed and unemployed, in understanding, enforcing, and
expanding their rights in the workplace. Workplace Fairness
is targeted to meet the needs of employees who cannot
afford the services of a private attorney. To meet these
needs, Workplace Fairness will provide information,
facilitate access to employment advocates, litigate cases
that have a potentially broad impact, and promote public
policy and legislation to advance employee rights.
A public interest law firm devoted to advancing and
defending the civil rights and liberties of individuals and
community groups that are threatened by powerful
institutions. Litigation is the primary tool that they use
to promote progressive change. Project LAW is headquartered
in Washington, D.C., and has a second office in Seattle,
Washington. Their practice is nationwide.
Offers public and private sector employees remedies for
discrimination and retaliation in employment. The EEOC
administers a statutory scheme which prohibits
discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, religion,
national origin, age, and handicap.
Originally chartered to administer the Civil Service
Reform Act and the Whistleblower Protection Act Through the
latter statute, the MSPB provides appeal rights for most
federal employees who believe that they have suffered
retaliation on the job for disclosing their agencies'
misconduct.
Administers the employee protectve provisions of a
number statutes among them the Energy Reorganization Act,
the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, the Toxic Substances
Control Act that offer remedies to individuals who have
suffered retaliation for making disclosures about their
employers violations of federal environmental law and
policy. Many complaints are resolved after an
administrative investigation. For those that are not,
hearings are available through DOL's Office of
Administrative Law Judges.
Sources of basic legal
information and legal services
This site is designed for lawyers concentrating in
employment law with federal and state law resource and for
human resource professionals who specialize in employee
relations.
Over 50 individuals from across the nation have
volunteered their time and efforts to help Workplace
Fairness achieve its goals of helping employees to
understand, enforce, and expand their rights at work. They
are both an advisory group and a working group, currently
organized around the following initial Workplace Fairness
projects. The Workplace Fairness Clearinghouse provides
information and assistance to employees regarding their
employment rights and legal protections. The Clearinghouse
includes a public education component to inform individuals
and organizations about employee rights in general, with
the goal of increasing knowledge of rights and how to
enforce them. Impact Litigation. Litigation of key cases to
advance the rights of individual employees where no other
national organization will assist and where the result will
have a broad benefit accruing to many workers. The Law
School Clinic Project seeks to increase the availability of
legal assistance to individuals with employment problems by
fostering the development of new employment law advocates.
The Clinic Project combines the most effective aspects of
existing programs and encourages law schools to implement
the "model" program developed.