They replaced them.  The bottom end of the steer tube was glued to the fork crown and had a pin inserted in one side.   My own inspection revealed that the adhesive wasn't applied all the way around the joint either.
 Later on they drilled all the way through both sides and inserted a pin all the way through with 360 degrees of adhesive.
I tested two of these to failure on a flight of stairs.

First test ride was discussed by the shop owner and mechanics and determined (not by me) as a mumble mumble production problem of unknown origin.  The second one, I carried the bike back to the shop and tore it apart myself.  I test a prospective bike hard. 

My own 855 has done many many flights of stairs since.  My favorite has been the East 34th st stairs in Tacoma.  Twelve flights of twelve steps, rail on the right and blackberry vines on the left.  There's a church at the bottom if you don't make it.

Oops!  My tiny brain was locked into the early link forks.  Those did use methacrylate adhesive and a single steel pin in one side of the early ones.  My accidental testing  was followed shortly after with more adhesive and a longer pin that penetrated both sides of the fork crown and steer tube.  They may have also increased the length of the fork crown that extended up into the steer tube too.  At any rate, there is a single steel roll-pin about an inch and a quarter up the steer tube that penetrates the steer tube and the fork crown to hold it together. 

That said, since the CPSC mentioned a failure of the earlier non link fork and the presence of adhesive, the 544 fork may well have used the same construction.

My memory is pretty vague but it seems like the earlier link fork crown did not extend as far up the inside of the steer tub as the later revised ones.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to respond.   I called the bike tech back and he said one of the shock tubes is loose and the shock is beyond repair.  Do you have any suggestions or recommendations on where I can get a replacement fork?