Worker Health & Safety

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Using Tech to Inform Consumers About Dangerous Products

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Recently, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released its new recall “app.” The CPSC, the nation’s chief product safety regulator, released the app in an effort to make recall information more accessible to consumers and as part of the agency’s push to modernize the recall communication process and encourage manufacturers to develop marketing strategies for recalls.

The agency has been largely unsuccessful in getting consumers to return unsafe products to retailers, and recall rates remain shockingly low. The average rate at which consumers participate in corrective actions is about 6% for all product types. A high-profile recall Ikea of dressers in 2016 resulted in only 175,000 refunds and 268,000 re-installations of the dangerous dressers that year despite the fact that the recall affected more than 17 million dressers. The defective Malm model dresser, which has injured 91 reported and killed 8 children after the dresser tipped over onto them.

So, the app is a positive development for an agency working to better grab consumers’ attention. The app’s home page features recent recalls with photographs, the recall date, and a brief description of the product. It also contains a search feature which allows users to filter by product name, product model, and/or date range.

It remains to be seen how helpful the app will be to consumers. First, the “app” label is misleading – it is actually a web page on the CPSC site. While users are encouraged to “install” it by saving the web page to the home screen of their phones, any attempt to view the details of the featured products on the “installed” app simply redirects users to the CPSC web page for that specific product. Second, the app lacks any notification system for users to set and receive alerts for recalls on specific products. Therefore, it appears that the app would be useful only for users who regularly search for recalled products or had already heard of a recall elsewhere and were simply visiting the app to confirm that a recall was underway.

The CPSC did note that the current version of the app is a beta version and is encouraging user feedback on its effectiveness.

While the app is a positive development, Public Citizen continues to advocate for more robust agency action to get unsafe products out of consumers’ homes. For example, we continue to urge the agency to update its saferproducts.gov database to ensure it is an effective repository of data that alerts the public to guard against products that could cause injury or death. In addition, Public Citizen has called on the agency to advertise the database on social media, expand and improve the data categories of harm that are listed on the database, and collaborate with federal government technologists in order to bring their much-needed expertise into the effort to improve the database. Hopefully, the agency’s new web tool will be one of many innovations to help the CPSC more effectively carry out its mission to protect consumers from unreasonable risk of injury or death.

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Sifting Through the Wreckage: Deregulatory Actions in Trump’s 2018 2-for-1 Report

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In mid-October, the Trump administration released its annual report detailing deregulatory actions taken under the ill-conceived 2-for-1 executive order, which requires agencies to eliminate two regulations for any single new regulatory action.

Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, a noted deregulation devotee with an open ear for contribution-giving bank lobbyists, described the report’s release as delivering on President Trump’s promise to “[get] rid of Washington’s unnecessary, outdated, and duplicative regulatory burdens.” Neomi Rao, Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and Trump’s deregulation point person, lauded the purported $23 billion dollars in regulatory costs to corporations saved in 2018. Mulvaney and Rao conveniently did not mention that the $23 billion cost savings represent projections over a “perpetual time horizon” rather than an annual estimate, making that number look much bigger than it is in reality. With all the time they spent patting themselves on the back for giving corporations even more handouts, neither official mentioned the extremely significant regulatory benefits that have been axed as part of the deregulatory frenzy of the past year.

Administration officials and anti-regulatory zealots justify wholesale deregulation by arguing that it serves to cut useless, outdated or burdensome regulations. The reality is starkly different; regulations serve to protect the public and set the legal framework to ensure basic liberties. Americans are harmed when safeguards are gutted. Here are just a few of the proposed or existing public safeguards included in Trump’s self-congratulatory deregulation report that have now been terminated:

  • Fracking regulations. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is an industrial process used to extract natural gas from deep in the earth that involves pumping millions of gallons of chemicals into the ground. Not surprisingly, scientific evidence suggests that the practice has serious negative environmental and public health consequences. In 2015, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued regulations requiring companies fracking on public lands to comply with a series of planning and review requirements – including disclosure of the types of chemicals that were being pumped into the ground. The rule was repealed by the Trump administration because it supposedly “imposes burdensome reporting requirements and other unjustified costs on the oil and gas industry.” The withdrawal notice paid little heed to action’s effect on the land, water or people around fracking sites.
  • Airline baggage fee transparency. It’s hard to plan affordable travel when your flight’s checked bag fees aren’t revealed until your final click. To address the problem, the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) undertook regulation to require airlines to disclosure ancillary fees, including charges for checked bags, at all points of sale. The proposal would have required airlines to disclose exactly how much checked bags would cost before customers selected a fare. The Trump administration withdrew the proposal on the grounds that “existing regulations already provide consumers some information regarding fees for ancillary services.” Unfortunately for the flying public, the hidden fee status quo remains.
  • Online accessibility for people with disabilities. The internet is not one size fits all, especially for hearing or vision impaired Americans. Although the internet has become an integral aspect of everyday life, there is still no defined legal framework in place that governs website accessibility for people with disabilities. In 2010, the Justice Department proposed regulations defining the scope of the Americans with Disabilities Act as applied to the internet. The action was “withdrawn for further review” in October 2017.
  • Workplace injury recordkeeping. Federal law requires employers to keep a record of employee injuries. These records can be used to protect workers by discerning injury trends and ultimately prevent accidents. In 2016, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) established a rule that required large employers (over 250 employees) to electronically submit their injury records to OSHA each year. Trump’s OSHA justified a repeal of the requirement by claiming the reporting would jeopardize worker privacy and burden employers. Ensuring that workers return home to their loved ones was apparently not a pressing priority.
  • Protections against unsafe imported food. Foreign food imported into the United States must meet safety standards; otherwise it must be exported or destroyed. Sometimes, shady food importers engage in a practice known as port shopping, which is moving rejected food from one port to another in hopes of avoiding inspection. In the late 1990’s, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and a U.S. Senate subcommittee identified the problem and then-President Clinton ordered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take action. The FDA’s proposal was simple; the shipping container and accompanying documents for unsafe food imports should be labelled “UNITED STATES: REFUSED ENTRY.” Despite the common-sense nature of the regulation, Trump’s FDA withdrew the proposal without explanation.

The loss of these important regulations is just the tip of the iceberg. The lost protections span across a huge spectrum of American life and will have long-lasting impacts on the public. Disturbingly, the pace is likely to quicken. In the words of Administrator Rao, “we’re projecting even more reform in 2019.” That might please corporations looking to increase their bottom lines, but should worry Americans and their families who will be left paying the price.

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The Public Demands Worker Heat Protections Now

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Today more than 61,000 individuals called on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish protections for workers who are exposed to extreme heat. The grassroots petition was organized by Public Citizen, United Farm Workers (UFW), UFW Foundation and Friends of the Earth.

The grassroots petition is part of a national heat protection campaign that includes labor, environmental and public health organizations and advocates. It aims to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change on the health and safety of workers, as well as other vulnerable populations, while advancing standards to prevent injuries and deaths from outdoor and indoor heat in the workplace.

To mark the campaign launch in July, more than 130 organizations petitioned OSHA for a national heat protection standard. Workers, former OSHA officials and members of Congress supported that call for action. Today’s delivery of the grassroots petition demonstrates the deep public concern about the dangers caused by heat exposure and expresses citizens’ demands for fundamental workplace protections.

Already, heat is the leading weather-related killer in the U.S., and climate change is resulting in more frequent days of extreme heat. A Public Citizen report found that during the July 4, 2018, holiday week, an average of more than 2.2 million workers in the agriculture or construction industries worked in extreme heat each day. With record-breaking summer temperatures becoming the norm, outdoor and indoor workers across a wide variety of workplaces will be at greater risk for workplace heat illness.

A heat protection standard from OSHA should include such things as mandatory rest breaks, hydration and access to cool spaces (shaded or air-conditioned), and protection against retaliation. Because most employers won’t protect their workers voluntarily, we need national requirements to safeguard workers from extreme temperatures. Only California, Washington, Minnesota and the U.S. military have occupational heat standards. But, if OSHA created a national standard, all workers would be protected no matter what state they live in.

The grassroots petition delivered a clear message to OSHA

Heat stress can result in heat exhaustion, heat stroke and even death. Climate change is rapidly increasing this hazard for U.S. workers, yet there are no national protections to prevent this growing occupational danger … It’s time to catch up and issue a federal standard that protects workers from heat stress.

Further, as our environment heats, more climate-related weather events like Hurricane Florence will take place. During the ongoing hurricane response and recovery efforts, OSHA and employers must protect disaster-relief workers from heat stress. The risk of serious heat illness is heightened when potable water is scarce and workers have limited access to fans and air conditioning due to power outages.

The public has spoken out– OSHA must prioritize worker heat protections. With rising temperatures, the time to act is now. You can help spread the word in your community about the need for a national OSHA standard to protect workers from heat by submitting a letter to the editor today!

More about the heat protection campaign can be found at www.citizen.org/heatstress.

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This Labor Day Trump Leaves Workers Behind

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Presidential candidate Donald Trump promised, “under a Trump Presidency, the American worker will finally have a president who will protect them and fight for them.” This Labor Day, a year and a half into Trump’s term, that claim is utterly broken. The Trump administration is failing to fulfill one of its most fundamental duties, which is to protect workers from injuries, a new report by Public Citizen shows.

The administration, often working in partnership with the congressional GOP and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has scuttled or weakened several standards that help the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) protect workers.

These were purely commonsense measures. One ensured that businesses could be fined for failing to record employees’ injuries as required by law for the duration of time that they are required to maintain those records. Another required employers to transmit to OSHA records of their employees’ injuries and illnesses, and would have allowed for non-personally identifying data to be posted on the web. Meanwhile, the administration has eroded a long-awaited rule to protect workers from beryllium, a cancer-causing toxic metal. Perhaps most outrageous of all, it worked to undo a requirement that employers comply with safety requirements as a condition for receiving federal contracts.

Among OSHA’s current shortcomings, it has been without a permanent leader for the duration of the Trump administration, and staffing and enforcement activity have declined. Those hoping for a change of attitudes should the U.S. Senate ever confirm the administration’s OSHA nominee likely will be disappointed. That nominee, Scott Mugno, was recently the chairman of the Chamber’s OSHA subcommittee. That subcommittee’s primary work has been to block or undo standards created by OSHA.

The Chamber’s work to block OSHA rules is diametrically opposed to OSHA’s mission. Standards that address recognized workplace hazards are the primary tool at OSHA’s disposal to ensure that employers maintain safe workplaces and undertake enforcement efforts against those that do not.

In the absence of a dedicated standard to address a hazard, OSHA must rely on the catch-all “general duty” clause, which requires employers to maintain safe workplaces.  While the clause is well-intended, it is often used in response to tragedies rather than to prevent them, and it’s more difficult to enforce than standards. Consider the following example. California is one of three states that has a law to protect workers from extreme heat. OSHA has no such standard. Over the past five years, California alone has issued 50 times more violations for unsafe heat conditions than OSHA has issued on that subject nationwide while relying on the general duty clause.

There are many other priorities that Trump’s OSHA could undertake if it were dedicated to protecting workers rather than ingratiating itself to businesses. Health care workers, for instance, suffer more injuries requiring time away from work than employees of any other industry. Solutions are available, and providers that have implemented them have typically recouped their costs in about four years. But OSHA has not taken action.

Poultry workers, meanwhile, suffer from musculoskeletal injuries at rates several times those who work in other industries. But the poultry industry has been pressing for increasing line speeds—a leading contributor to musculoskeletal disorders—rather than addressing the epidemic of debilitating injuries. OSHA has acknowledged those dangers, but has rejected a petition by worker rights groups to slow down line speeds within slaughter plants.

Despite the benefits of regulations for workers and the U.S. economy at large, the Trump administration has repeatedly acted as a mouthpiece for industry and argued that regulations place an unfair burden on the economy and businesses. In the first month of Trump’s presidency, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue stated, “We look forward to working with the administration to identify the regulations doing the most harm.” That same day Trump signed Executive Order 13771, which directs federal agencies to eliminate two existing regulations for every new regulation issued.

This Labor Day, the administration’s efforts to block commonsense worker safety measures has become business as usual.

 

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2018 Whistleblower Summit Highlights

This year’s Whistleblower Summit for Civil and Human Rights (Summit), an annual event for whistleblowers and their advocates, kicked off on July 30, National Whistleblower Appreciation Day. The Summit was organized by ACORN 8 and other members of the Make It Safe Coalition. Ralph Nader held the first whistleblower conference in Washington DC nearly five decades ago, and we were proud to participate in this year’s gathering to honor our modern-day heroes. The Summit was filled with sage advice from whistleblowers, advocates and government officials, and the following highlights cannot capture the breadth of material covered. Further information can be found at the summit’s website.

Government Officials Supporting Truth-Tellers

The Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus sponsored this year’s National Whistleblower Appreciation Day resolution, S. Res. 558. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and

co-chair of the Whistleblower Caucus, provided opening remarks to commemorate the day, saying, “Congress has sought to protect whistleblowers [because] it’s not just the right thing to do, it’s the sensible thing to do … Whistleblowers … know where to find the waste, fraud, abuse and in the corruption.”

During the summit luncheon, Senator Grassley cited the effectiveness of the False Claims Act, which has been used to recover more than $56 billion in taxpayer dollars since it was enacted in 1987. He remarked that whistleblowers are the most effective resources for draining the swamp, and he challenged President Trump to hold a Rose Garden ceremony to honor these courageous truth-tellers.

In recognition of this year’s 40th anniversary of the Inspector General Act, Michael Horowitz, Inspector General (IG) of the Justice Department, explained that IGs rely heavily on whistleblowers, and it is often the only way they learn what is going in an organization. He told whistleblowers that he wants to “make sure you have a safe place to speak truth to power”, which is why his office has supported measures such as the recently passed Whistleblower Protection Coordination Act, which will make permanent and strengthen whistleblower coordinators within federal agencies. Relatedly, in National Security Agency (NSA) OIG’s semi-annual report to Congress, NSA IG Robert Storch highlighted the significant role of whistleblowers and steps his office has taken to enhance it’s whistleblower program, including coordination with the whistleblower advocacy community.

Tristan Leavitt, Principle Deputy Special Counsel for the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) – the federal agency tasked with protecting federal whistleblowers from retaliation – acknowledged that this year also marks the 40th anniversary of the Civil Service Reform Act, which was passed in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal and established rules and procedures for federal employees. He cautioned that at the end of the day, even when whistleblowers have rights, remedies can take time, and a lot of harm can come to a whistleblower before that individual is vindicated. He referenced pioneer Pentagon whistleblower Ernie Fitzgerald, who exposed massive taxpayer waste and coined the term “commit the truth”, because whistleblowers are often treated as if they have committed a crime for exposing a crime. Leavitt expressed, “I’m grateful for the courageous men and women who put their careers on the line to shine light” on government wrongdoing.

Health and Safety Whistleblowing

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) whistleblowers spoke directly about their experiences committing the truth in order to defend veterans. Brandon Coleman, who exposed breakdowns with VA suicide prevention efforts, spoke about his new role helping to run a mentoring program within the VA’s Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection. The number one complaint he hears is that employees have difficulty finding work after they blow the whistle. He tries to help them by discussing his own whistleblowing, the OSC process, how to speak with the media, and the importance of self-care.

Kuauhtemoc Rodriguez, former chief of specialty care clinics in Phoenix and an Iraq veteran, reported VA delays in providing mental health care and a list of 116 veterans who died before receiving care. As Rodriguez explained, “Veterans receiving care is an issue that transcends politics – they deserve the health care that they earned.” Rodriguez described his retaliation to coming forward, including government surveillance, death threats, and denial of paid leave for a cardiac injury.

Daniel Martin, Chief Engineer for the VA Northern Indiana Health Care System, explained that for more than 500 days he has been stripped of his job duties and relocated to a room contaminated with silica and asbestos after he internally reported gross misuse of taxpayer dollars. On June 27, OSHA issued a Notice of Unsafe or Unhealthful Working Conditions at the facility due to the presence of silica, lead and asbestos. The VA has until August 18 to correct the violation.  Despite the threats to his health, Martin explained that he remains at the VA because he wants to continue to support veterans.

James DeNofrio worked as an administrative officer at the Altoona, Pennsylvania VA Medical Center, and he put his career on the line when he reported concerns about the quality of care that patients were receiving under the hands of an aging physician who was making life-threatening mistakes. In the wake of his whistleblowing, he reported that he was denied promotions and overtime, threatened with lower performance ratings, and his medical records were shared with unauthorized recipients. Echoing Senator Grassley’s remarks, DeNofrio and the other courageous civil servants should be honored with a rose garden – not punished for exposing harm to our veterans.

Day two of the Summit kicked off with a panel regarding USDA whistleblowers in the #MeToo movement. Members and supporters of the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees described the experiences of women in the U.S. Forest Service and other USDA divisions that have been sexually assaulted within the workplace. They identified the need for exposure, accountability and coalition building to end sexual harassment. Rep. Jackie Speier’s (D-CA) office discussed the role of congressional hearings and agency audits in shedding light on these abuses. Notably, Rep. Speier has advocated for congressional staff who expose sexual harassment to have whistleblower protections to challenge retaliation.

During a panel entitled Blowing the Whistle on the Blue Wall of Silence, Matthew Fogg spoke about his experience exposing systemic racism within the U.S. Marshal Service. According to Fogg, the “blue wall of silence” means “you keep your mouth shut” when you witness wrongdoing within a law enforcement workplace. When he considered coming forward, his peers urged him, “Whatever you do, don’t take on the system.” The experience brought him to tears, and “changed my whole life, change my career.” But as he explained it, “the only way you deal with a bad cop is through a good cop.” Fogg embodies the role of the “good cop”, and he is starting a national whistleblower network for law enforcement officers.

Tips for Working with the Office of Special Counsel and Congress

The Government Accountability Project (GAP) organized two instructive panels to help whistleblowers collaborate with OSC (Office of Special Counsel) and Congress to advance their whistleblowing while protecting them in the process. One panel featured leadership at OSC and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), which hears and decides whistleblower reprisal claims. As Tom Devine, GAP Legal Director, explained, “This is the panel of individuals who deliver on your rights.”

Unfortunately the MSPB has been unable to deliver — notwithstanding MSPB Vice-Chairman Mark Robbins’ effort to keep the Board functional — because it currently lacks a quorum and has a backlog of approximately 1,300 cases. In July the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee held a nomination hearing for three MSPB nominees, and those individuals are still being vetted.

Special Counsel Henry Kerner explained that due to limited resources and statutory limitations, OSC is only able to obtain corrective action for a small percentage of whistleblowers. Largely as a result of the outreach and improvements made under former Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner, the number of OSC cases has almost doubled in the last five to six years. However, OSC’s resources have not kept pace, making it difficult process cases in a timely manner.

One of Kerner’s biggest priorities is to increase the OSC’s efficiency and effectiveness, and they have already made progress. For FY2017 OSC’s average time to take a complaint and assign an examiner was 18 days, and in 2018 OSC has reduced it to five days, Kerner shared. There’s more work to be done, however, and the OSC is beginning to implement recommendations from a June 2018 Government Accountability Office report on ways in which to improve processing of whistleblower disclosures and reprisal complaints. “One thing we can do is tell you as early as possible if there are other options for you,” Kerner told the whistleblowers in attendance.

Panelists described OSC’s structure and previewed some changes. The Disclosure Unit is where OSC receives disclosures about government waste, fraud, abuse, and public health and safety dangers. OSC’s website provides a description of what a whistleblower can expect after he or she makes a disclosure.  The Complaint Examining Unit investigates prohibited personnel practices, which span a variety of whistleblower reprisal actions.

In response to its large caseload, OSC is planning to change the structure for investigating whistleblower retaliation. Its goal is to provide a system where the same one to two attorneys can handle a retaliation case from the beginning to end. Leavitt explained, “The importance and challenge is that the [whistleblower’s] evidence is sufficient to prove retaliation.” OSC panelists recommended that whistleblowers prepare for working with OSC by providing a timeline of the events.

Since 2012 OSC has also offered alternative dispute resolution (ADR), a form of mediation that “often yields resolutions that are more creative and tailored to the needs of the parties as well as far less costly in time and money than traditional legal routes”, according to the OSC website. Jane Juliano, who leads the ADR Unit, explained that ADR can be a good fit for whistleblowers who want to sit down with the agency officials and have a conversation, and want to maintain confidentiality. It’s not a good fit for whistleblowers who want an investigation into the alleged reprisal, which they forgo through ADR.

The panel on working with Congress offered a wealth of advice from congressional staff and advocates on whistleblower collaboration with the legislative branch.  Sarah Garcia, Senior Counsel for the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee minority, shared that her Committee begins by looking at the facts involved in the whistleblower’s case and determining what, if anything, Congress can do in response. Congress’ primary ability “is the power of the pen,” Garcia explained.

DeLisa Lay, Senior Investigative Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee majority, shared that the Committee’s primary role is to engage in oversight to ensure that agencies are fulfilling their missions. For instance, they are currently looking into the Security and Exchange Commission’s proposed new rules for its whistleblower program.

Krista Boyd, General Counsel for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee minority, explained “it helps if we have more than one whistleblower to identify it is a systemic problem,” which can lead to Congressional investigations and oversight letters on agency misconduct.

Elizabeth Hempowicz, Policy Director for the Project On Government Oversight, discussed efforts by advocates and the House Whistleblower Protection Caucus to increase congressional staff capacity to work with whistleblowers.

Tom Devine summarized the panel’s advice for how whistleblowers can work most effectively with Congress into 10 points:

  1. Do your homework before you contact Congress. Be strategic in who you meet with, research the office’s jurisdiction, track record, and their ability to deliver results.
  2. Establish the ground rules for your relationship with the offices, such as confidentiality.
  3. Prepare a one to two page fact sheet that extracts your case’s key facts and conclusions.
  4. In addition to the fact sheet, prepare a timeline of the key events in your whistleblowing.
  5. Distill your introductory presentation down to a two to three minute summary, and practice it!
  6. Do speak in consequences. Discuss what impact your disclosures have on the public.
  7. Do not make it a briefing on your own injustices. If Congress decides the issue is significant and has public policy impacts, then the office will also want to know how you are being mistreated.
  8. Demystify the technical jargon for the offices.
  9. Be prepared to back-up everything you say with documents, but before providing additional evidence, let the staff determine what documentation they need.
  10. Be a navigator. Let the office know that you know what documents to ask for, which witnesses to speak with, what the agency excuses will be and how to rebuff them.

Telling Your Whistleblowing Story

Michael McCray, Summit organizer and Managing Editor of American Banner Books, organized a panel of experts to discuss tips and strategies for harnessing the power of their stories to advance their whistleblowing. Rob Kall of OpEdNews offered his outlet as a forum for whistleblowers to share their stories. Kathy Cole, producer of the documentary film Whistleblowers, explained how her relentless advocacy to expose safety violations in New York schools resonated with parents and taxpayers.

Marcel Reid, Summit organizer and co-founder of ACORN 8, spoke about her experience after exposing embezzlement at ACORN, the non-defunct community organizing group, “The number one thing I noticed was, as a whistleblower you couldn’t tell your own story. Everyone had their own interpretation. That’s when I realized that we needed to find a way to tell our stories.” She went to the Pacifica Radio Board, which unanimously agreed to commit to covering whistleblower stories. As Pacifica’s whistleblower liaison, Marcel works with whistleblowers to help them hone their stories to be shared more widely, and suggests that whistleblowers practice their story with friends and people they trust. “Your number one indicator of how well people receive your whistleblowing is your ability to tell a tight controlled story that you are in charge of,” explained Reid.

You can hear more about Reid’s story by watching this presentation she made at a TEDx conference:

Whistleblowers are integral to Public Citizen’s mission to protect the public interest, since they serve as our eyes and ears to government and corporate wrongdoing. Whether the issue is protecting workers and communities from chemicals, making sure our food, medicine, and cars are safe, exposing corporate fraud, or ensuring our taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly, we have always relied on these courageous employees as the lifeline to warn us about abuses of power that betray the public trust. Thank you to all the brave workers and individuals who have the courage to speak truth to power.

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