Port Authority Employees Not Protected By Whistleblower Laws

Whistleblower laws do not protect employees of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a New Jersey Superior Court judge ruled last week.

The Hudson County lawsuit was filed by Jay Alpert, a former Bergen County sheriff who was working with the Port Authority’s office of emergency management in Jersey City.

Alpert claimed he was fired after telling his supervisors that a police captain had made copies of police promotional exams and was sharing them with prospective candidates, according to an Associated Press report.

One of the officials that Alpert allegedly contacted was David Wildstein, a former Livingston mayor and former associate of Governor Chris Christie who recently pleaded guilty in the “Bridgegate” scandal.

The Superior Court judge agreed with Port Authority officials, which had argued that since the agency is a bi-state organization created by a compact between New York and New Jersey, whistle blower laws don’t apply unless both states have similar statutes.