My predicament

I worked for a private utility company for over 15 years. The company began using a hazardous chemical and never trained the employees to work with this chemical, the company also disposed of the chemical improperly for over 5 years. I brought up this issue when we first began using the chemical and later at a safety meeting. I was going to quit the company, turned in a resignation letter and went on vacation to exhaust my remaining vacation time. During this time I asked management to rescind my letter of resignation, they said NO. I feel their decision was retaliation to me for bringing this issue up. I relied on my union to get my job back, but they say my case is too complicated. It has been almost a year, what can I do ???

On the contrary, they simply accepted your resignation. I don't see any retaliation in that. If you were unhappy enough to resign, it's not likely an employer will rehire right away, if ever, particularly under those circumstances. You left the job voluntarily. If you'd been terminated, you might have recourse under wrongful termination for "whistle-blowing," (depending on your jurisdiction) but accepting your post at face value, personally I don't see cause for litigation. Just an opinion, of course. If there are other circumstances than those you've posted or if you're convinced you do have a case, of course you can always either contact your local labor board or consult with an employment attorney.

Hopefully, you've already moved onto another job. Should something like this happen again, it's a given you'll take either a leave of absence or use that vacation time to think things through before handing in another letter of resignation.

Good luck.