Launching a Whistle Blowing campaign in the US
Groups Leafleting Bank Employees in 15 US Cities
(Washington, DC) – Today, the Government Accountability Project (GAP) and several other organizations are announcing an educational campaign aimed at employees of large banks and financial institutions. The campaign, one of the first major coordinated national efforts of its kind, will inform workers of whistleblower protections that potentially apply to them, if they have witnessed wrongdoing.
“Bankers and workers at financial institutions should know that they do have rights to report corporate wrongdoing safely,” stated Louis Clark, GAP President and Corporate & Financial Accountability Director. “We want bank employees to be aware of the protections that Congress has given them. These laws are on the books for a reason.”
Leafleting is set to take place today in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, Seattle, New York City, Charlotte, Atlanta, St. Louis, Chattanooga, Las Vegas, Orlando, Minneapolis, and Chicago. Primarily, the materials being distributed seek to educate employees on the whistleblower protections that were enacted by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, and drive them to a website (BankWhistleblower.org) and a informational number (1-855-BANK-KYR) for more information. Copies of materials that are being distributed can be found here. On both the website and phone message, employees can find additional information such as whistleblower survival tips, whistleblower protections under Sarbanes-Oxley, and tips for filing complaints with the Department of Labor.
Any civic-minded group is welcome to join in this effort and distribute flyers to Bank employees, or make workers aware of the website and phone number.
Michael Termini, GAP Corporate & Financial Accountability Deputy Director, added: “Sometimes the only individuals who can prove financial corruption are employees themselves. We’re trying to make them aware of their rights.”
Current groups participating in the outreach include GAP, Home Defenders League, Occupy Wall Street, and Occupy Our Homes.
For more information, please visit BankWhistleblower.org.
Dylan Blaylock is Communications Director for the Government Accountability Project, the nation's leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization.