Whistleblowing: The Latest Employee Complaints-From B-2 Bombers To Beef

California employers continue to be hit by revelations from whistleblowing workers. The Southern California-based Northrop Grumman Corp. has agreed to pay $1.4 million to settle a lawsuit by a former employee who accused the defense contractor of overcharging the Air Force for B-2 bomber instruction and repair manuals. The worker who complained to the government will receive $266,000 of the settlement. In another case, a former butcher for online grocer Webvan charged that he was fired after reporting to management that workers at Webvan’s Oakland facility often substituted lower-grade beef when they ran out of premium cuts. Webvan says that customers are notified before substitutions are made and that the butcher was fired for legitimate reasons. The butcher’s lawsuit against Webvan is pending.