We say an employee has "blown the whistle" if he or she has contacted the authorities about their employer's fraud, pollution, misuse of funds, or some other illegal or immoral act. Obviously, most employers would rather not have whistleblowers on the payroll, which is why states have "whistleblower " laws to protect these employees from being terminated or otherwise retaliated against for their actions.
These laws almost always protect employees in the public sector, but some states also extend these protections to private employees. Even if the alleged activity turns out not to have occurred, the whistleblower will still be protected as long as the report was made in good faith.
Alaska Whistleblower Protections at a Glance
See the following charts to learn more about Alaska's whistleblower protections. See FindLaw's Whistleblowers section for more articles and resources.
| Code Section | 18.60.088, .089, .095 |
| Prohibited Employer Activity | A person may not discharge or discriminate against an employee because the employee has filed a complaint or instituted or caused to be instituted a proceeding related to the enforcement of occupational safety and health standards, or has testified or is expected to testify in a proceeding relating to occupational safety and health. |
| Protection for Public or Private Employees? | Private |
| Opportunity for Employer to Correct? | Yes |
| Remedies | May file complaint with commissioner of health and safety within 30 days of the violation to get reinstatement, back pay, and other appropriate relief |
| Penalties | - |
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| Code Section | 39.90.100 to .150 |
| Prohibited Employer Activity | A public employer may not discharge, threaten, or otherwise discriminate against an employee regarding the employee's compensation, terms, conditions, location, or privileges of employment because:
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| Protection for Public or Private Employees? | Public |
| Opportunity for Employer to Correct? | - |
| Remedies | Civil action for punitive damages as well as other appropriately found relief; a municipality isn't liable if it adopts an ordinance that provides similar protections |
| Penalties | Civil fine, maximum $10,000 |
Note: State laws are subject to change at any time through decisions handed down from higher courts, the enactment of newly signed legislation, and other means. You may want to contact an Alaska whistleblower attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.
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Alaska Whistleblower Laws: Related Resources
