Hi,

My name is XXXXX XXXXX X'd be happy to answer your questions today. I'm sorry to hear about your situation.

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Federal law does prohibit an employer from taking negative action against an employee for reporting something that the employee reasonably believes is a violation of the law, or rules and regulations. That means that they cannot decrease your salary (even if you were wrong, if you had a reasonable belief that you were right). Title 5, United States Code, Section 2302. They are also not permitted to fire you. You would have a right to sue for reinstatement and Back Pay. You would have to establish that, more likely than not, the action was taken as a result of your reporting the issues to your supervisor. You also cannot be fired for reporting the violations to the appropriate government agency. I understand your reservations against actually contacting the agency, but it may be the best way to protect yourself in this situation. I don't know the specifics of your job, but it could also help you protect other people, because these regulations are put in place for a reason.

As far as unemployment goes, you are eligible if you are found to be involuntarily unemployed. You should be prepared to fight any reason that your employer gives for letting you go. If you're let go illegally, and you later win a judgment against the company that included back pay, you would have to repay any amounts you got from unemployment.

One thing you might want to consider is hiring an attorney to send to your employer, letting her know that you'll file suit under the Whistle blower statute if she does not reinstate your salary to its prior level. That will also help establish a paper trail, if she tries to take action against you down the road. A good place to look for a local attorney is http://www.martindale.com. The statute says that you're entitled to recoup your attorneys fees if you wind up having to take legal action.

Good luck.

I'm sorry. I do understand your concerns, and I hope you rethink the decision not to fight, because the law allows you to hire an attorney at her expense, and get reimbursed for it when you win the case.

With that said, if she terminates you for cause, you wouldn't be able to collect unemployment. It's going to depend on what she tells them. You should file, because you're not going to be unemployed through anything you did. If she disputes it, you'll be able to request a hearing. Typically, if it's a personality conflict, that's not your fault, and you could get unemployment. But there are also requirements for time in the job - Colorado requires that you earned at least $2,500 during the relevant base period. It doesn't seem like that's going to be an issue.
http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CDLE-UnempBenefits/CDLE/1251619773214