US Department of Labor's OSHA settles whistleblower case against New Orleans-based riverboat company; Agency found employee was illegally terminated under Seaman's Protection Act. The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into a settlement agreement with St. James Stevedoring Partners LLC New Orleans to resolve findings by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that the company illegally terminated an employee for safety complaints, in violation of the Seaman's Protection Act. "Employees must feel free to exercise their rights under the law without fear of termination or retaliation by their employers," said John M. Hermanson, OSHA's regional administrator in Dallas. An OSHA whistleblower investigator found that St.