An employee in the Los Angeles County library system has filed suit against his employer, contending the library system put staff members and patrons at personal risk.
The whistleblower lawsuit is asking for unspecified damages. The whistleblower states in the suit that because he reported his concerns, he didn’t get a promotion, lost income and other benefits and had his reputation sullied in the library system.
The man was a disaster and emergency preparedness analyst in the library system. He told his supervisor that staff members and the patrons were in danger of violent attacks from homeless patrons. He also said he reported that a maintenance employee did not have proper protection when he was sent into a fire zone near a library branch in 2018.
Part of the whistleblower’s job was to make sure the 87 branch libraries had emergency plans that met local, state and federal regulations. And for nearly 10 months between late 2017 and the fall of 2018, he frequently told his supervisor that security personnel needed to be added and staff trained about when to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
By April 2018, the supervisor had become hostile in dealing with the man. He took away his employee’s time for breaks and lunches and assigned him duties that weren’t part of his job, according to the lawsuit.
Around the same time, the analyst was offered a county promotion, but the man contends that once his boss heard about the opportunity, the supervisor made disparaging comments that caused the man not to get the promotion, according to the lawsuit. He later was demoted in his job duties.
Federal law gives all employees the right to report dangerous or improper work conditions without fear of retribution. This man is within those rights to file this lawsuit.
