Source: http://daleymohan.com/dmg-updates/whistleblower.shtml
Timestamp: 2017-05-28 20:14:49
Document Index: 785816594

Matched Legal Cases: ['§80507', '§ 30171', '§ 1142', '§ 60129', '§ 2114', '§ 42121', '§ 31101']

Clearance_Cases
By Mary Louise Kandyba and Cherie Getchell
While the extent to which liability can co-exist under the two statutes is not yet clear, transportation defense attorneys who have protected clients by educating them regarding the impact of one of the statutes should recognize that there is another significant area in which companies working in the intermodal transportation industry may be implicated. THE FEDERAL RAILROAD SAFETY ACT
refusing to violate a law relating to railroad safety or security;
Because the FRSA is remedial in nature, however, it is likely that, consistent with the decisions of a number
of federal courts, it will be given a broad construction and a liberal interpretation in order to further the remedial, beneficial, and humanitarian purposes behind the Act. See, e.g., Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Ry. Co. v. Buell, 480 U.S. 557, 562, 107 S.Ct. 1410, 94 L.Ed.2d 563 (1987); Consolidated Rail Corp. v. Gottschall, 512 U.S. 532, 543, 114 S.Ct. 2396, 129 L.Ed.2d 427 (1994). In the absence of case law interpreting the FRSA, courts can “look to case law applying provisions of other federal whistleblower statutes for guidance.” Collins v. Beazer Homes USA, Inc., 334 F.Supp.2d 1365, 1374 (N.D. Ga. 2004).
The STAA also differs from the FRSA in that it permits a preliminary order of abatement after a complaint is filed, including reinstatement if the employee has
been discharged, if the preliminary investigation finds reasonable cause to believe that the complaint has merit. The FRSA does not contain any such provision.
While it appears that the STAA is in many areas a more generous statute to employees, the FRSA’s protections relating to the reporting of a work-related personal injury or illness provide significant exposure to employers in the trucking industry who are also working for contractors or subcontractors of railroads. If you are a trucking employer who is performing work for a rail carrier pursuant to a contract, your liability exposure will be greater under the FRSA’s whistleblower provisions.
[1] The International Safe Container Act, 46 U.S.C. §80507 protects employees involved in international shipping. MAP-21, 49 U.S.C. § 30171 prohibits retaliation against employees of motor vehicle manufacturers, parts suppliers and dealerships. The National Transit Systems Security Act, 6 U.S. C. § 1142, protects transit employees. The Pipeline Safety Improvement Act, 49 U.S.C. § 60129, protects employees who report violations of federal pipeline safety laws. The Seaman’s Protection Act, 46 U.S.C. § 2114, protects employees who report maritime safety laws to the Coast Guard. The Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act, 49 U.S.C. § 42121 protects employees of air carriers, their contractors and subcontractors who report violations of laws relating to aviation safety.
[7] (See Memorandum of Agreement between the Federal Railroad Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (July 16, 2012) available at
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=MOU&p_id=1125.
[9] The STAA specifically sets forth definitions as to who is contemplated as an employer and an employee under the Act. “Employee” means a driver of a commercial motor vehicle
(including an independent contractor when personally operating a commercial motor vehicle), a mechanic, a freight handler, or an individual not an employer, who directly affects commercial motor vehicle safety in the course of employment by a commercial motor carrier. “Employer” means a person engaged in a business affecting commerce that owns or leases a commercial motor vehicle in connection with that business, or assigns an employee to operate the vehicle in commerce. 49 U.S.C.A. § 31101.
For further information, contact Mary Louise Kandyba at mlkandyba@daleymohan.com or Cherie Getchell at cgetchell@daleymohan.com.