Opinion ID: 4545148
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: RIF Decisions

Text: Also in 2016, CP implemented a RIF. It planned to eliminate the Missouri desk and redistribute the territories associated with that desk to the Iowa and Kansas City desks. Under this plan, CP would eliminate 6 of the 16 Operations Supervisor positions by April 1, 2016. To prepare for the RIF, CP scheduled a meeting to evaluate each Operations Supervisor. Amanda Cobb, a member of Human Resources, e-mailed a spreadsheet with information about each Operations Supervisor to guide discussion during the meeting. Cobb included Peterson on the e-mail. However, Peterson never responded to the e-mail, did not attend the RIF meeting, and gave no input on the RIF terminations. The RIF spreadsheet included each Operations Supervisor’s performance management program (PMP) rating for the prior three years, efficiency test scores, two-year discipline record, twelve-month attendance record, and current work status. The spreadsheet showed that Button received a 2015 PMP rating of 100. The PMP ratings ranged from 0–120. Every Operations Supervisor with a 2015 PMP rating of less than 100 was included in the RIF except for one. As to efficiency tests, Button had the highest failure rate of all of the Operations Supervisors. In addition, Button had been disciplined twice in the twoyear period. Only one other Operations Supervisor had more discipline events. He was also terminated. The RIF spreadsheet rated each Operations Supervisor in several different work categories. The categories included “Independent Worker Understands Impact of their decisions on the Operations,” “Demonstrates Strong Verbal and Written Communication Skills,” and “Gets results.” J.A. 1263. The spreadsheet used a rating -3- scale of Outstanding, Exceeds Expectations, Achieves Expectations, Partially Achieves, or Unsatisfactory. Button received a Partially Achieves rating in each of the categories. Every Operations Supervisor with a Partially Achieves rating was scheduled to be terminated in the RIF. On February 24, 2016, the RIF team, including Marthe, Human Resources Business Partner Sheri Perkins, and several other employees, met to discuss the Operations Supervisors’ experience and qualifications relative to territories that would be redistributed between the Iowa and Kansas City desks. At the time, Button had only worked at the Kansas City desk, which utilized Central Traffic Control as its communication system. The other territories used Traffic Warrant Control (TWC), which Button had little experience using, and Automatic Block Signaling (ABS), which Button had no experience using. Further, Button had no experience dispatching any territory to be added to Kansas City except for the territory from Laredo to Davenport. Marthe explained that Button would need significant training to learn ABS and TWC and to become qualified in the new territories. Based on the spreadsheet and Button’s lack of experience in the new territories and communications systems, the RIF team believed that Button was not suitable for a larger territory. At the end of the meeting, the RIF team identified six Operations Supervisors—including the two female Operations Supervisors4—as the least qualified Operations Supervisors and planned to terminate them in the RIF by April 1.