Opinion ID: 320666
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Cause of Discharge Sufficient to Invoke the Act

Text: 22 The resolution of the issue here depends on the coverage of and the procedure under the Mine Safety Act. Obviously the Board and the Administrative Law Judge differed in their interpretations. Specifically, we must determine whether a miner brings himself under the coverage of the Act by reporting safety violations to his foreman and Mine Safety Committee, or whether he must formally notify the Secretary of Interior or his authorized representative before he is protected. We believe that the answer is clear: given the mine's procedures regarding safety complaints, the coverage of the Act begins when the miner notifies his foreman and/or safety committeeman of possible safety violations. 23 It is important to recognize at the outset that this case arises out of the enforcement of the Mine Safety Act, not an ordinary labor dispute. While a simple employee discharge may be merely a labor dispute, when allegations of safety violations are not frivolous the court must carefully review the case to determine whether the Mine Safety Act has been obeyed. Our review indicates that the Act is involved here, and indeed we conclude that Phillips has presented a valid cause of action. 24 Safety costs money. The temptation to minimize compliance with safety regulations and thus shave costs is always present. 24 The miners are both the most interested in health and safety protection, and in the best position to observe the compliance or noncompliance with safety laws. Sporadic federal inspections can never be frequent or thorough enough to insure compliance. Miners who insist on health and safety rules being followed, even at the cost of slowing down production, are not likely to be popular with mine foreman or mine top management. Only if the miners are given a realistically effective channel of communication re health and safety, and protection from reprisal after making complaints, can the Mine Safety Act be effectively enforced. 25 There is no question but that Phillips felt there was a danger due to excessive coal dust on 28 April 1971. The previous actions of the federal inspectors and the Mine Safety Committee confirm that Phillips was not overly or unreasonably worried about the dangerous conditions in the mine. 25 When Phillips felt that the dust conditions were harmful, he did what he could to reduce the risk-- he began to clean the water sprays. It was at this point that the foreman told him to start work, as opposed to continuing to fix the safety equipment. After rejecting Phillips' contention that it was necessary to reduce the dust, the foreman told him either to start work or be fired. Thus Phillips was given the choice of either working in what he felt was an unhealthy, unsafe area, or being discharged for not accepting the foreman's evaluation of the danger. His discharge on 28 April was the direct result of his disagreement with the foreman on the safety of the coal dust level. 26 We digress here to point out that the 'substantial evidence' question is no question at all. Our dissenting colleague adequately describes the Administrative Law Judge's and Board's conclusions on this: 'First, the Board found there was no substantial evidence to support the finding of the Trial Examiner that Phillips was discharged because of his safety complaints and safety activities. After reviewing the evidence the Board found, contrary to the Examiner's conclusion, that the reason for the discharge was the refusal of Phillips to obey the direct order of his foreman to haul coal.' (P. 787) Of course, both the Administrative Law Judge and the Board were right: Phillips was discharged because of his refusal to obey a direct order to haul coal because in his judgment the working conditions were unsafe and unhealthy and Phillips and his co-worker were engaged in an effort to repair the safety equipment (spray) before resuming hauling coal. The Board never considered any evidence 27 different from the Administrative Law Judge's evidence; the Board simply summed up the evidence in a conclusory way designed to characterize the issue as an ordinary labor dispute-- to which ordinary labor dispute remedies would attach. To the court it seems inescapable that the whole dispute arises under the Mine Safety Act and is governed by it; it there had been no Mine Safety Act, it seems likely that Phillips would never have registered this-- and previous-- safety complaints. 28 The Mine Safety Act protects miners who are discharged as a result of their complaints concerning safety violations in mines. Section 110(b)(1) prohibits discharge of or discrimination against a miner by reason of the fact that the miner 29 ( A) has notified the Secretary or his authorized representative of any alleged violation or danger, (B) has filed, instituted, or caused to be filed or instituted any proceeding under this chapter, or (C) has testified or is about to testify in any proceeding resulting from the administration or enforcement of the provisions of this chapter. 26 30 We believe that Phillips' notification to the foreman of possible dangers is an essential preliminary stage in both the notification to the Secretary (A) and the institution of proceedings (B), and consequently brings the protection of the Safety Act into play.