In a recent press release published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in its official website, it has revealed that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has filed a retaliation lawsuit against the Ohio Bell Telephone Company, which operates AT&T, on behalf of 13 employees who were allegedly disciplined and had received unpaid suspensions after reporting workplace injuries between 2011 and 2013.
According to the agency’s report, the U.S. Department of Labor was prompted to file a lawsuit after OSHA confirmed during its investigation that the employees’ suspensions were as a result of their reporting of their injuries.
In a statement provided by OSHA’s Assistant Secretary of Labor, Dr. David Michaels, he claimed that giving sanctions or suspending employees for reporting workplace injuries is like discouraging them from reporting such incidents, thereby increasing the possibility of more workers being injured in the future.
Michaels also noted that it is against the law for employers to discipline or suspend employees for reporting injuries.
The said lawsuit alleges that the company violated the whistleblower provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. So far, the case is under litigation.
Under the said Act, employers should provide safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. The OSHA, which is under the DOL, is responsible for ensuring that the said Act is being implemented, not violated.
Until present, despite several employment issues and business situations, AT&T remains to be one of the largest companies by market value worldwide. Thus, consistent with its previous employment rap, it is more likely that the telecommunication giant will opt the easiest and business-wise way to get through this, and that is through a settlement, as speculated by our labor attorney in Los Angeles.
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