Making Rights Real: How the Whistleblower Enforcement Model Can Address the Crisis in Labor Rights Enforcement, 2026 Update

Too many employers pad their profits by violating worker’s hardfought rights to fair pay and healthy and safe workplaces. To stem the tide against this lawbreaking, Whistleblower Enforcement policies would expand public enforcement of labor law, foster a culture of employer compliance, and generate essential revenue for state enforcement agency staff.

Whistleblower Enforcement policies would expand the reach of public enforcement agencies and allow affected workers, whistleblowers, and labor organizations to begin legal action on behalf of the state against employers who violate the law. Resulting penalties discourage potential lawbreakers and serve as an untapped funding source for enhancing the capacity of public sector enforcement agencies, including through additional staffing, better pay, and enforcement resources.

Read the methodology of this report.