A Staten Island healthcare provider’s attempt to stop the U.S. Department of Labor from seeking damages for a COVID-19 whistleblower was rejected by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Community Health Center of Richmond Inc. and CEO Henry Thompson were sued by the department in June 2021 on the grounds that they violated the Occupational Safety and Health Act by suspending and firing a worker who voiced concerns about the possibility of COVID-19 exposure at an in-person staff meeting, according to an Oct. 31 news release.
“This is a significant decision reaffirming the U.S. Department of Labor’s independent authority to pursue legal actions and relief for employees in the name of the public interest,” Regional Solicitor of Labor in New York Jeffrey Rogoff said, according to the release.
Rogoff said cases to vindicate whistleblowers’ rights will be brought by the Office of the Solicitor of Labor, who are necessary to protect the workforce’s health and safety, wages and wellbeing, the release reported.
“The Occupational Safety and Health Act guarantees workers the right to raise safety and health concerns to their employers without fear of retaliation,” New York OSHA Regional Administrator Richard Mendelson said in the release. “Community Health Center of Richmond Inc.’s inexcusable actions have a chilling effect on other employees who wish to come forward with concerns about workplace hazards.”
