Opinion ID: 773221
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The SEH Delivery

Text: 2 The star-crossed events began with Kilby's arrival at SEH America, a microchip manufacturer which had requested a supply of oxygen. In typical fashion, he connected his truck's oxygen tank to SEH's dedicated storage facility. As he started to download the gas, however, he noticed a problem. The power take off valve on his truck, a device which regulates the flow of oxygen, was shutting off prematurely, preventing him from filling SEH's tank. Unable to repair the valve, Kilby called the BOC truck shop and requested an on-site mechanic. The shop attendant declined his request, instead suggesting a make-shift solution. The attendant instructed Kilby to rev the truck's engine, theorizing that the additional power would open the valve. Although simple in principle, this temporary fix proved difficult in application. 3 During the course of the delivery, the valve malfunctioned approximately fourteen times. On each occasion, Kilby had to run fifty feet from the back of the truck, climb into the cab, and rev the engine to keep the oxygen pumping. Because the pump lost pressure each time the valve closed, he was forced to estimate how much oxygen had been delivered. Satisfied that he had filled SEH's tank, Kilby prepared the delivery paperwork and obtained a sign-off from an SEH employee. 4 Still reeling from the mini-sprints, Kilby returned to the cab to find his lunch bucket overturned. As he scrambled to salvage the contents, Kilby felt an alarming sensation: The truck was moving! Panicked, he tugged at the emergency brake, stopping the truck instantly. Overcome by the events, Kilby became nauseated and vomited. 5 With the roll-away averted, Kilby composed himself, started the truck and began to pull away. Unfortunately, he did not get very far. A tugging resistance slowed the truck's progress. Kilby stopped the truck, exited the cab and circled the perimeter searching for the cause. As he reached the rear of the truck, he discovered the problem: Kilby had neglected to disconnect the truck hose. His mistake caused approximately $17,000 in damages to SEH's storage facility. 6 SEH responded with a letter to BOC's management instructing them not to assign Kilby to deliver oxygen to SEH in the future. SEH described the damage to their tank as substantial and criticized Kilby's failure to communicate the incident to SEH personnel as inexcusable. BOC suspended Kilby pending further investigation. 7 One week after the incident, BOC fired Kilby. In its termination letter, BOC asserted two grounds supporting his discharge. First, BOC accused Kilby of dishonesty, contending that he failed to accurately relay the extent of the damage to the SEH storage tank. Second, BOC stated that his failure to disconnect the transfer hose constituted gross carelessness. Teamsters challenged Kilby's termination by filing a grievance on his behalf, and the dispute was referred to arbitration.