A Department of Labor lawsuit claims a Tyler, Texas pipe manufacturer violated federal whistleblower protections after the company fired an employee because they requested to use a respirator to protect them from smoke and fumes in the work area.
The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation at Tyler Pipe Company after learning of the alleged October 2022 retaliation. The agency’s Whistleblower Protection Program investigators in Dallas determined the company violated federal whistleblower protections by terminating an employee who exercised their protected rights to request personal protective equipment.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, the department’s complaint asks the court to order Tyler Pipe to make the employee whole for the illegal retaliation.
Founded in the mid-1930s, Tyler Pipe Company manufactures pipes and related plumbing products. It operates an iron foundry in Tyler, and coupling and gasket manufacturing facility in Marshfield, Missouri. The employer has distribution centers in California and New Jersey. The company is a subsidiary of McWane Inc., a privately held family operated company headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.
Source: DOL
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