286 Organizations and Corporations Support Swift Action to Restore Strong, Comprehensive Whistleblower RightsMay 12, 2009 An Open Letter to President Obama and Members of Congress The undersigned organizations and corporations write to support the completion of the landmark, nine-year legislative effort to restore credible whistleblower rights for government employees. We offer our support to expeditiously pass legislation that includes the critical reforms listed below. Whistleblower protection is a foundation for any change in which the public can believe. It does not matter whether the issue is economic recovery, prescription drug safety, environmental protection, infrastructure spending, national health insurance, or foreign policy. We need conscientious public servants willing and able to call attention to waste, fraud and abuse on behalf of the taxpayers. Unfortunately, every month that passes has very tangible consequences for federal government whistleblowers, because none have viable rights. Last year, on average, 16 whistleblowers a month lost initial decisions from administrative hearings at the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). Since 2000, only three out of 53 whistleblowers have received final rulings in their favor from the MSPB. The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, the only court which can hear federal whistleblower appeals of administrative decisions, has consistently ruled against whistleblowers, with whistleblowers winning only three cases out of 209 since October 1994 when Congress last strengthened the law. It is crucial that Congress restore and modernize the Whistleblower Protection Act by passing all of the following reforms: •Grant employees the right to a jury trial in federal court; We know you share the commitment of every group signing the letter below to more transparency and accountability in government. Please let us know how we can participate to make this good government reform law to protect federal whistleblowers and taxpayers. Sincerely, Marcel Reid, Chair Adele Kushner, Executive Director David Swanson, co-founder Pamela Miller, Director Dan Lawn, President Cindy Shogun, Executive Director Susan Gordon, Director Rochelle Becker, Executive Director Gil Mileikowsky, M.D. Linda Lipsen, Senior Vice President for Public Affairs Mary Alice Baish, Director, Government Relations Office F. Patricia Callahan, President and General Counsel John W. Curtis, Ph.D., Director of Research and Public Policy Christopher Finan, president Caroline Fredrickson, Director, Washington Legislative Office Michael D. Ostrolenk Dr. Paul Connett, Executive Director John Gage, National President Charles M. Loveless, Director of Legislation Mary Ellen McNish, General Secretary Caitlin Love Hills, National Forest Program Director Jessica McGilvray, Assistant Director Tom DeWeese, President Alexandra Owens, Executive Director Charlotte Hall, President Patricia Schroeder, President and CEO Prudence Adler, Associate Executive Director Ms. Bobbie Paul, Executive Director Samuel H. Sage, President Jay Stewart, Executive Director Jay Feldman, Executive Director Matthew Fogg, First Vice-President Chip Pitts, President Diane Wilson, President Peter Scheer, Executive Director Terry Franke, Executive Director Reece Rushing, Director of Regulatory and Information Policy William Snape, Senior Counsel Charlie Cray, Director Gregory T. Nojeim, Senior Counsel and Center for Democracy and Technology J. Bradley Jansen, Director Joseph Mendelson III, Legal Director Paul Kurtz, Chairman Robert E. White, President Lawrence S. Ottinger, President Merrill Goozner, Director John Richard Linda Lazarus, Director Craig Williams, Director Phil Fornaci, Counselor Leonard Akers Evelyn M. Hurwich, President and Chair David B. McCoy, Executive Director Doug Bandow, Vice President for Policy Deb Katz, Executive Director Barbara Warren, Executive Director Elaine Cimino James Turner, Chairman of the Board Michael McCormack, Executive Director Gerard Beloin Laura Olah, Executive Director Anne Hemenway, Treasurer Rick Piltz John Judge Zena Crenshaw, 2nd Vice-Chair Sarah Dufendach, Vice President for Legislative Affairs Greg Smith, Co-Founder Clarissa Duran, Director Neil Cohen, Publisher Joni Arends, Executive Director Lokesh Vuyyuru, MD, Founder Daniel Hirsch, Member, Executive Committee Matthew Fogg, President Linda Sherry, Director of National Priorities Ellen Bloom, Director of Federal Policy Bob Shavelson, Director Neil Takemoto, Director Tonya Hennessey, Project Director Louis Wolf, Co-Founder John Issacs, Executive Director Anne Weismann, Chief Counsel Cathy Harris, Founder, Executive Director Miho Kim, Executive Director Mary Elizabeth Beetham, Director of Legislative Affairs Sue Udry, Director Bob Fertik, President Paul E. Almeida, President Courtney Dillard, Founder Ben Smilowitz, Director Dr. Patrick Campbell Dr. Disamodha Amarasinghe James J. Murtagh, Jr., President Dr. John Raviotta Marco Simons, Legal Director Bruce Baizel, Senior Staff Attorney Larry Chang, Founder Thea Harvey, Executive Director Lisa Walker, Executive Director Mike Ewoll, Founder and Director Gregory Hile Chuck Broscious, President Judith Robinson, Director of Programs Eric Shaeffer, Executive Director Peter Montague, Ph.D, Director Jason Zuckerman Rob Weissman George Anderson Bob Cooper Gabe Bruno Robert Richie, Executive Director Janet Kopenhaver, Washington Representative Steven Aftergood, Project Director Marilyn Fitterman, Vice President Ellen Donnett, Administrative Director Andrew D. Jackson, Asst. Campaign Coordinator Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director Bob Darby, Coordinator Andy Stahl Tom Ferguson, Coordinator Ruth Flower, Legislative Director Brent Blackwelder, President Conrad Martin, Executive Director Gail Naftalin, Owner Karyn Jones, Director Gwen Marshall, Co-Chairman Neil Tangri Denny Larson, Executive Director Paul F. Walker, Ph.D., Legacy Program Director Bill Owens, President Tom Devine, legal director Bill Hedden, Executive Director Molly Johnson, Area Coordinator Alexis Baden-Mayer Luci Murphy Alan Muller Jenefer Ellingston Tracy Frisch James C. Turner, Executive Director Tom Carpenter, Executive Director Arthur S. Shoor, President Helen Salisbury, M.D. Vanessa Pierce, Executive Director Gerry Pollet Ernie Reed, Council Chair Liz Havstad, Chief of Staff Doug Tjapkes, President Keith Robinson, Interim President Scott Armstrong, Executive Director Arjun Makhijani, Ph.D., President Brenda Platt, Co-Director Donald Soeken, President Michael McCray, Esq., Co-Chair Mory Atashkar, Vice President Mark S. Zaid John Metz, Executive Director Brett Kimberlin, Director Elizabeth Crowe, Director Tom FitzGerald, Director Kit Wood, Owner James Love Josephine Carol Cicchini Jonathon Moseley, Executive Director James Plummer Greg Mello, Executive Director Dr. Janette Parker Ayize Sabater, Organizer Jill McElheney, Founder Ellen Smith, Owner and Managing Editor Mary Treacy, Executive Director Helen Haskell Mark Cohn, President James Landrith, Founder Larry Fisher, Founder Tinsley H. Davis, Executive Director Jim L. Jorgenson, Deputy Executive Director Dominick DellaSala, Ph.D., Executive Director of Programs and Chief Scientist Joan E. Bertin, Esq., Executive Director Eileen Dannemann, Director Russell Hemenway, President Sally Greenberg, Executive Director Terisa E. Chaw, Executive Director Andrew Jackson Kim Gandy, President Paul Brown, Government Relations Manager Sibel Edmonds, President and Founder Pete Sepp, Vice President for Policy & Communications Colleen M. Kelley, National President Steve Kohn, President Amy Allina Lewis Maltby, President Terrie Smith, Director Tim Hermach, President Doug Kagan, Chairman Sr. Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director Ron Marshall, Chairman Rick Engler, Director Douglas Meiklejohn, J.D., Executive Director Caroline Heldman Ph.D., Director Marsha Coleman-Abedayo, Chair Nina Bell, J.D., Executive Director Alice Slater, Director David A. Kraft, Director Michael Mariotte, Executive Director Jay Coghlan, Executive Director Gwen Lachelt, Executive Director Sean Moulton, Director, Federal Information Policy Nikuak Rai, Arts Director Rob Kall Patrice McDermott, Executive Director Paul Loney, President Ellen Paul, Executive Director Joe Carson, Chair Judy Norsigian, Executive Director Betsy Combier, President and Editor Ashley Katz, MSW, Executive Director Blake Moore Dianne Parker Former Special Agent Darlene Fitzgerald Paul Kawika Martin, Organizing, Political and PAC Director Bennett Haselton, Founder Rev. Paul Alexander, Ph.D., Director Michael McCally, MD, PhD, Executive Director Dale Nathan, J.D., President Vina Colley, President David Banisar, Director, FOI Project Evan Hendricks, Editor/Publisher Robert Bulmash, President Ronald J Riley, President Dr. Paul Lapides Tim Carpenter, Director Danielle Brian, Executive Director Ellen Thomas, Executive Director David Arkush, Director, Congress Watch Jeff Ruch, Executive Director Robert L. FitzPatrick, President Dr. Diana Post, President Lucy A. Dalglish, Executive Director Kirsten Moore, President and CEO Tim Little, Executive Director John W. Whitehead, president Adrienne Anderson, Coordinator Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center Angela Smith, Coordinator Dr. Roland Chalifoux Rufus Kinney Ed Hopkins, Director of Environmental Quality Program Shane Jimerfield, Executive Director Andrea Shipley, Executive Director Matthew Petty, Executive Director Dave Aekens, National President Laureen Clair Amy B. Osborne, President Don Hancock, Director of Nuclear Waste Safety Program Donna Rosenbaum, Executive Director Mauro Oliveira Kevin Kuritzky Daphne Wysham, Co-Director Jeb White, Executive Director Alec McNaughton Ken Paff, National Organizer Thad Guyer, Partner Marylia Kelley, Executive Director Paul Taylor Francesca Grifo, Ph.D., Director Dane von Breichenruchardt, President Dr. Joseph Parish Gary Kalman, Director, Federal Legislative Office Nick Mangieri, President Brad Friedman, co-founder Dr. Jeffrey Fudin, Founder Sonia Silbert, Co-Director Nada Khader, Foundation Director Janine Blaeloch, Director Gloria G. Karp, Co-Chair Greg Costello, Executive Director Mabel Dobbs, Chair Ann Harris, Executive Director Janet Chandler, Co-Founder Dan Hanley Linda Lewis, Director John C. Horning, Executive Director George Nickas, Executive Director Tracy Davids, Executive Director Scott Silver, Executive Director Kim Witczak Tom Z. Collina, Executive Director Paula Brantner, Executive Director |