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By Daniel Baxter |
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May 31, 2010 - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered United Parcel Service to pay an Earth City, Mo., truck driver $111,008 in back wages, benefits, compensatory damages, punitive damages and attorney's fees. OSHA investigated the employee's allegation that Atlanta, Ga.-based UPS terminated his employment in retaliation for his refusal to drive after raising safety concerns. OSHA's investigation found the driver was terminated after refusing to drive the vehicle because of inoperable lights on the trailer and tractor. |
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"It is vital that
employees be able to raise safety concerns to their employers without
fear of retaliation," said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA's regional
administrator in
As a result of the
investigation, OSHA has ordered UPS to pay the employee $1,858 in back
wages and interest, $483.04 in hotel and mileage expenses to attend a
grievance hearing, $5,000 in compensatory damages, $100,000 in punitive
damages and $3,667 in attorney's fees.
The employer
further has been ordered to remove all disciplinary action from the
employee's personnel file due to the work refusal and to provide
whistleblower rights information to its workers. Either party in the
case can file an appeal with the Labor Department's Office of
Administrative Law Judges. OSHA conducted the investigation under the whistleblower provisions of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act. OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of STAA and 16 other laws protecting employees who report violations of various securities, airline, nuclear power, pipeline, environmental, railroad, public transportation, workplace safety and health, and consumer product safety laws. |