Report Details Increasing Use of Efforts to Stifle Whistleblowing

Nondisclosure agreements like the one Hanford whistleblower Donna Busche says she was pressured to sign by URS in 2012 are becoming more prevalent, according to a June 29 Washington Post report suggesting the agreements could run afoul of federal whistleblower laws. The Post report highlighted the case of Busche, a senior manager at Hanford who was fired by URS earlier this year. URS has said the firing was not linked to her role as a whistleblower, a claim Busche has fought. Busche called the nondisclosure agreement, which the Post said prevented employees from calling attention to problems without supervisory approval, a “gag order.” According to the Washington Post report, “lawyers who represent whistleblowers like Busche say they are seeing a rise in the use of overly restrictive nondisclosure agreements, which prevent employees from reporting fraud, even to government investigators. The agreements incorporate language that goes beyond those that had traditionally protected proprietary information, the attorneys said.”