The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against Lear Corp., doing business as Renosol Seating LLC, and three of its managers for suspending and terminating employees who reported workplace hazards in violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
The suit follows an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration after three Renosol employees filed federal complaints. Based in Selma, the company is a high- and low-volume foam manufacturer.
Filed on March 4 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, Montgomery Division, the suit alleges that Lear discriminated against the employees by conducting retaliatory acts in violation of the OSH Act’s Section 11(c). The case is being litigated by the department’s Office of the Solicitor in Atlanta.
The suit seeks back wages, interest, and compensatory and punitive damages. Additionally, the suit seeks an order directing Lear to remove all references to this matter from the employee’s personnel records and barring Lear from future violations of the OSH Act.
The department’s action makes numerous allegations, including that the company harassed employees, reduced their overtime, segregated them from co-workers, suspended and later terminated one of the employees in retaliation for raising health concerns associated with exposure to toluene diisocyanate.
“Employees have the right to raise occupational safety and health concerns without the fear of retaliation,” said Kurt Petermeyer, OSHA’s regional administrator in Atlanta. “OSHA will continue to seek litigation for companies that violate the whistleblower provisions of the OSH Act to protect employees who report violations.”
Author Kori Shafer-Stack, Editor, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in post-injury response procedures and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com. Contact: kstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.
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