The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) is the federal law that applies to nearly all employee benefit and retirement plans in the private sector. In some parts of the country, ERISA offers protection for employees that report internally within the company problems or wrongdoing in the administration and/or operation of employee benefit or retirement plans. But not in all parts of the country because some federal appeals courts have ruled that companies may go ahead and fire employees who make internal reports of irregularities, wrongdoing or other issues in the plan's operation and administration.
In a guest column for the Winston-Salem Journal, Joe Vincoli offers a persuasive and compelling argument for amending ERISA to increase the protections it offers for whistleblowers and for employee benefits and retirement: Protecting Our Benefits.
