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Alaska Forum for
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Alaska Whistleblower Resource Guide Do you support the work of the Alaska Forum? Become a member! |
Alaska Whistleblower Resource Guide Conclusion The tragedy is that a resource guide for whistleblowers -- in Alaska or elsewhere -- is even necessary. The warnings and advice provided here by the Government Accountability Project and the Alaska Forum for Environmental Responsibility are drawn from the lessons learned by dedicated employees who told the truth and often paid a bitter price. The good news is that lessons can be learned. Whistleblowing does not have to be the sound of professional suicide. And despite the high personal risk, whistleblowers across the nation can and do make a difference. After reading this resource guide, we hope that your eyes are open to the full range of risks that come with the territory. If we have scared you from blowing the whistle, perhaps you weren't ready. If you are still determined to go ahead, we hope that our suggestions will empower you to do the right thing for the public while trying to protect your career and your personal life. Good luck.
Resources for Alaska Whistleblowers
Public Interest Organizations Alaska Forum for Environmental Responsibility Valdez Office: Fairbanks Office: The mission of the Alaska Forum for Environmental Responsibility (Alaska Forum) is to hold industry and government accountable to the laws designed to safeguard Alaska's environment, worker safety, and public health. We do so by:
The Alaska Forum was founded by Riki Ott, Stan Stephens, and Dan Lawn -- three Alaskans who took on big oil and won. Because of the leadership roles they played in citizen and government oversight of oil industry operations in Prince William Sound, Alyeska (the company that operates the Trans-Alaska Pipeline) conducted illegal surveillance to track their activities, suspecting (correctly) that they were in contact with Alyeska's conscientious employees. Riki, Stan, and Dan won a financial settlement against Alyeska for its illegal surveillance. They used the settlement funds to launch the Alaska Forum in September 1994. Since then, the Alaska Forum has worked with numerous whistleblowers in Alaska's oil industry. The Alaska Forum provides confidential advice and support to concerned employees in Alaska and, when necessary, refers them on to attorneys experienced in whistleblower litigation. We work closely with the Government Accountability Project and serve as the Alaska chapter of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (see below).
Government Accountability Project West Coast Office The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is a nonprofit, public interest organization based in Washington, DC, with a West Coast Office in Seattle, WA. GAP provides legal and advocacy assistance to concerned citizens who witness dangerous, illegal or environmentally-unsound practices in their workplace and communities and choose to "blow the whistle." Since 1977, GAP has helped thousands of public and private employees and grassroots organizations expose threats to public health and safety and the environment. For example, GAP attorneys represented several concerned employees on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline who blew the whistle on environmental violations and reprisals against quality-control inspectors in the early 1990s. In addition to providing legal services to individual whistleblowers, GAP also assists whistleblowers by collaborating with the news media, grassroots citizen organizations, other attorneys, and the broader public interest community to reveal, expose, and galvanize public response to whistleblower concerns. Over the last twenty years, GAP has developed in-house expertise in five broad areas. These are: strengthening the rights and protections of whistleblowers, ensuring a safe and cost-effective clean-up at nuclear weapons facilities, increasing food safety, enforcing environmental protection laws, and curtailing national security abuses.
Project on Government Oversight 1900 L Street, NW, Suite 314 The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that has been working as a government watchdog since 1981. POGO's mission is to investigate, expose and remedy abuses of power, mismanagement and government subservience to special interests. The organization's methods include networking with government investigators and auditors whose findings have received little attention, working with whistleblowers inside the system who risk retaliation, and performing independent investigations into problematic issues.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility 2001 "S" Street NW, Suite 570 Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) works with public employees to advocate for the protection and enhancement of the environment. Organized in 1992 by Jeff DeBonis, a former U.S. Forest Service employee, PEER represents employees of state and federal resource management and environmental protection agencies. In particular, PEER supports employees who seek a higher standard of environmental ethics and scientific integrity within their agencies.
American Civil Liberties Union National Taskforce on Civil Liberties in the Workplace The ACLU's Workplace Rights Taskforce seeks to advance civil rights and civil liberties for all employees, whether in the private or public sector. The Taskforce's primary strategies are to conduct public education and to pursue selected court cases. The Taskforce also guides the ACLU's state affiliates with respect to workplace issues. These issues range from drug testing and electronic monitoring to whistleblowing and lifestyle discrimination.
Internet Sites The Alaska Forum for Environmental Responsibility Government Accountability Project Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics Integrity International Department of Labor Whistleblower Decisions The American Civil Liberties Union--National Taskforce on Civil Liberties in the
Workplace The Project on Government Oversight LawMall: self-help pamphlets for dealing with legal problems
Publications Glazer, Myron and Glazer, Penina (1989) The Whistleblowers: Exposing Corruption in Government and Industry, New York: Basic Books. Government Accountability Project (1997) A Survival Guide for Whistleblowers: Courage Without Martyrdom, Government Accountability Project, Washington. (See the order form on the back page.) Holleman, Pamela (1997) "Matters of Public Concern: Recognizing a Whistleblower's Common Law Tort Cause of Action in Alaska," Northeast Environmental Law Forum, June. Jos, Philip, Tompkins, Mark E., and Hays, Steven W. (1989) "In Praise of Difficult People: A Portrait of the Committed Whistleblower," Public Administration Review, November/December: 552-61. Miceli, Marcia P. and Near, Janet P. (1992) Blowing the Whistle: The Organizational and Legal Implications for Companies and Employees, New York, NY: Lexington Books.
Credits Principal authors and editors: Mike Riley, Alaska Forum; Eva Bertram and Joanne Royce, Government Accountability Project Layout and Design: Deborah Taylor, Seattle, WA. This guide was funded by contributions from Alaska Forum members and concerned workers in Alaska, as well as by generous grants from the Alaska Conservation Foundation, the Brainerd Foundation, the Rockefeller Family Fund, and the Tortuga Foundation.
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Last modified: June 26, 2000 |