Whistler Blower Protection

AFGE National President Says Union Protection Needed Now More Than Ever WASHINGTON, DC—The president of the nation's largest federal workers union said that the checks and balances of how the government serves the public could be severely hampered by a recent Supreme Court decision to restrict whistle blower protections for government employees. John Gage, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees said the decision will make it less likely that serious government problems will be corrected in the future."The Bush Administration has sent a clear and chilling message to all government employees: speak out and you'll be out," said Gage. "In these dangerous times, government failings must be brought to light as soon as they are discovered. Without a doubt this Supreme Court decision may cause many government workers to remain silent about problems they recognize because the risk to their careers, and to their families, may seem too high a price for doing the right thing.”AFGE long has been a strong advocate for government whistleblowers. In recent years AFGE has represented government employees who spoke out about problems within the Department of Defense, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Prisons, and Social Security Administration. The problems raised by these whistleblowers pertained to serious issues of interest to the public, from the safety of the U.S. meat supply to inability of federal officials to monitor the communications of known terrorists in prison.“Without a strong union protecting potential whistleblowers, these employees understand they will have no protection from dismissal, often on bogus charges, should they put the public's interest first by speaking out," said Gage.