california discrimination
Retaliation by boss for reporting a proof-of-life photo to the police
<p>I came across two sketchy photos while developing a customer's photo order today. Both photos show an elderly woman in her 80s lying in bed with a copy of today's newspaper lain on her chest, both photos are the same except for the page of the newspaper shown: one is the front page of the LA times, the other is a different page--the dates on both are clearly visible. </p>

<p>The customer claimed the elderly woman was his mother, which makes no sense to me--why would anybody need such a photo to validate his or her mother was alive? Shouldn't their word be enough?  </p>

<p>My boss doesn't want to report this to the police.   </p>

<p>The only times I've seen such photos are in movies where kidnappers use them as proof of life. </p>

<p>My gut tells me to report this to the police. It just seems so sketchy.  </p>

<p>But maybe such photos are commonly used for official legal purposes as well, such as proof of life for IDK... benefits?</p>

<p>Should I report this and risk pissing off my boss? Can my boss retaliate against me for going against his decision not to report? </p>

<p>I'm not that familiar with California whistleblower/retaliation laws, but I do know that the state has laws that generally protect people against retaliatory action based on the fact that they reported a crime or engaged in constitutionally protected activity during their off-hours.</p>

<p>What I can't tell you, though, is how strong those laws and procedures are. In Ohio, where I live, we have similar laws, but you'd better hire a lawyer if you're planning on using them, and even then, the system is really stacked against you if you try to get your job back.</p>

<p>It may be that the police will understand your situation and agree not to pursue any investigation in a way that would get back to your boss or otherwise jeopardize your job.</p>
