• Workers’ compensation retaliation protections. • ERISA (benefit‑plan rights). • State parenting/pregnancy leave, ESST, and other leave protections. • Laws protecting employees who serve on juries, report child abuse, participate in lawful strikes, request access to personnel files, or are subject to wage garnishment. Many federal statutes also include specific whistleblower or anti‑retaliation provisions, such as the Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Surface Mining, Mine Safety and Health, Toxic Substances Control Act, and specialized programs for transportation, financial institutions, and health‑care sectors. Sarbanes‑Oxley and corporate whistleblowing The Sarbanes‑Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) enhances the accuracy and reliability of corporate financial reporting and contains robust whistleblower protections for employees of publicly traded companies and certain affiliates. Covered employees are protected from retaliation when they, in good faith, report or assist in investigations concerning:
• Mail, wire, bank, or securities fraud. • Violations of SEC rules or regulations. • Violations of any federal law relating to fraud against shareholders .
Protection applies when employees provide information or participate in proceedings involving a federal agency, Congress, or a person with authority to investigate within the company. Private companies subject to certain securities‑law obligations or that aspire to public‑company governance standards may also benefit from adopting internal reporting and anti‑retaliation procedures modeled on SOX and related SEC and stock‑exchange rules.
HUMAN RIGHTS
KEY FEDERAL ANTI-DISCRIMINTATION LAWS Several core federal laws prohibit employment discrimination and are enforced primarily by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – Applies to employers with 15 or more employees and prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), and national origin in all aspects of employment. • Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) – For employers with 15 or more employees , prohibits discrimination based on genetic information, restricts acquisition of genetic data, and limits disclosure.
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