OSHA suing Postal Service over whistleblower retaliation

Vincent Melehy, federal employment expert and an attorney with Melehy and Associates, joins The Federal Drive with Tom Temin to offer his analysis of the case.

The Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is suing the Postal Service over a whistleblower case.

OSHA alleges the Postal Service retaliated against a safety specialist at the Seattle Process and Distribution Center. The employee provided information to a fellow worker who wanted to file a safety complaint.

A federal statute allows OSHA to sue the Postal Service in this instance.

“I think it’s a sign of the times that the Obama administration is doing more to crack down on whistleblower retaliation to encourage people to come forward with complaints,” said Vincent Melehy, federal employment expert and an attorney with Melehy and Associates.

Melehy joined The Federal Drive with Tom Temin Monday to offer his analysis of the case.

“If people know and understand that if they’re the victim of whistleblower retaliation, somebody’s going to do something about,” said Melehy. “I would expect that a lot more people are going to feel freer to report things and also feel better about going to the Office of Special Counsel.”

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