Stone & Webster Engineering Corp. v. Herman

CUDAHY, Senior Circuit Judge:

Made of steel and concrete, the drywell of a nuclear power plant encases the reactor itself. It is the containment structure. It is also a bulwark against a variety of disasters. A fire in a drywell is a serious matter, for extinguishing a fire gone out of control is not easy.

Among the people best positioned to prevent fires are the workers who tend to nuclear plants. But if fear of retaliation kept workers from speaking out about possible hazards, nuclear safety would be jeopardized. To protect whistleblowers, Congress forbade employers from retaliating against…