Opinion ID: 485678
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Grievances Two and Three: Paul Jackson and Murray Naquin

Text: 24 Local 4-447 filed two grievances claiming inter alia that Chevron discriminated against Jackson and Naquin in the disciplinary process when it issued performance appraisals on these employees. Article XX, Section 1 of the collective bargaining agreement is a just cause provision which prohibits Chevron from discriminating against employees in the disciplinary process. 4 25 Chevron asserts that Local 4-447's claims in grievances 2 and 3 are not arbitrable. Under the collective bargaining agreement in this case, only grievances which involve the application or interpretation of the collective bargaining agreement are arbitrable. (Article XII, Section 1 & (c)). A grievance is a complaint by an employee or the Union against the Company alleging failure to comply with the provisions of this Agreement. Such grievance must be covered by Articles and Sections of this Agreement. Complaints with reference to matters not included in the Articles and Sections of this Agreement shall not be subject to the grievance procedure. (Article XI, Section 3). 26 Chevron contends that Local 4-447's claims are not arbitrable because they do not constitute a grievance. Chevron claims that the performance reports about which Local 4-447 objects are not used in the disciplinary process and, therefore, they are not covered by the Articles and Sections of this Agreement. As such, they cannot be grievances and, consequently, cannot be arbitrated. 27 The Court is not persuaded by Chevron's argument. The Court finds that there is a grievance in this case since the Union complained that Chevron violated Article XX, Section 1 which prevents Chevron from taking disciplinary actions for other than just cause. A grievance is arbitrable, according to the collective bargaining agreement, if the grievance involves the application or interpretation of provisions in the collective bargaining agreement. Whether Chevron violated Article XX, Section 1 by administering the performance reports involves an application of that provision to the facts of this case. 28 The courts' role is very limited when deciding issues of arbitrability. The courts' function is to decide whether the claim asserted is the type of claim which the parties have agreed to arbitrate. AT & T, 106 S.Ct. at 1418; Oil, Chem. & Atomic Workers Int'l. Union v. Southern Union Gas Co., 379 F.2d 774, 776 (5th Cir.1967). In no way are the courts to consider the merits of a party's claim. AT & T, 106 S.Ct. at 1419. 29 On the face of the collective bargaining agreement, it is clear that the claim asserted--discriminatory disciplinary action by Chevron--is prohibited by Article XX, Section 1 of the agreement. Further, the arbitration provision provides for arbitration of grievances involving the application of any Article and Section of the Agreement. Thus, the agreement requires that Local 4-447's assertion of a violation of Article XX, Section 1 be decided by an arbitrator. 30 Whether the performance reports are used in the disciplinary process goes to the merits of the grievance. If the performance reports are not used in the disciplinary process, then the Union's claim should be rejected, but the merits of the Union's claim is a decision for the arbitrator and not for the court. 31 As the Supreme Court stated in Warrior & Gulf, arbitration is to be ordered unless it may be said with positive assurance that the arbitration clause is not susceptible of an interpretation that covers the asserted dispute. 363 U.S. at 582-83, 80 S.Ct. at 1852-53. There is no evidence before the Court upon which to find that the parties did not intend for claims of discrimination in disciplinary actions to be arbitrated. 32