The Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA), as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, regulates pollution from active industrial sites in the U.S. The Acts required that hazardous waste be managed in a manner that protects human health and the environment. 42 U.S.C. § 6902.

SWDA protects employees who tell the government about violations of the law, so long as they properly report the retaliation to the Department of Labor within 30 days of the retaliation. If SWDA applies to your employer, it is illegal for your employer to retaliate against you for telling the government about a SWDA violation. 42 U.S.C. § 6971.

Who is Covered?

The SWDA whistleblower provisions apply to all employees, public and private. They do not cover employees fired or demoted for a legitimate reason, unless retaliation was a contributing factor to the employment action, or the legitimate reason was merely a pretense.

What Activity is Protected Against Retaliation?

SWDA protects employees who file or institute a complaint alleging a violation of SWDA, or who testify or are about to testify in a proceeding under the law. In all states except those on the Gulf Coast, it also protects employees who complain of a SWDA violation to a supervisor.

Compare Passaic Valley Sewerage Com’rs v. U.S. Dept. of Labor, 992 F.2d 474 (3rd Cir. 1993) (holding that the Clean Water Act, which has identical whistleblowing provisions to SWDA, protects purely internal whistleblowing) with Macktal v. U.S. Dept. of Labor, 171 F.3d 323, 327- 28 (5th Cir. 1999) (holding that statute with identical language did not protect purely internal complaints).

What Must a Plaintiff Do to Prevail?

A successful complainant must prove the following by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning that it must be more likely than not that:

1. The employee engaged in protected activity;
2. The employer knew of the employee’s reporting/protected activity;
3. The employer subjected the employee to unfavorable personnel action; and
4. The employee’s protected activity was a “motivating factor” to the employer’s decision to take unfavorable personnel action against the employee.

Complaints are made to the Department of Labor, and must be made within 30 days of the adverse employment action.

What is the Employer’s Burden of Proof?

In order to avoid liability, the employer must demonstrate by a preponderance of evidence that it would have taken the same unfavorable personnel action against the employee in the absence of the employee’s protected activity.

What Retaliatory Acts are Prohibited?

SWDA prohibits any unfavorable personnel actions taken by an employer in retaliation for protected activity which have a negative effect on the employee’s terms, conditions, or privileges of employment. “Unfavorable personnel actions” can include, but are not limited to:

1. Termination of employment;
2. Demotion;
3. Denial of promotion;
4. Failure to pay overtime;
5. Failure to hire/rehire;
6. Intimidation or other physically or verbally threatening behavior;
7. Unwarranted discipline;
8. Unwarranted negative performance review;
9. Suspension or other forced leave;
10. Reduction in pay or hours;
11. Denial of benefits;
12. Reassignment that negatively impacts promotion prospects, seniority, or other benefits;
13. Blacklisting; or
14. Alteration of job duties (removal or excessive addition).

What Remedies Are Available to a Successful Claimant?

If the Department of Labor finds that the evidence supports your whistleblower claim under SWDA, you may be entitled to remedies that include: