Opinion ID: 6984389
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Arbitration Proceedings and Decision

Text: The parties agreed that the Arbitrator would decide the following issue: “Was there just cause for the discharge of the grievant Michael O’Hearn? If not, what shall be the remedy?” In the decision accompanying his Award, the Arbitrator first decided that it was the Company’s burden to prove, by clear and convincing evidence, that O’Hearn was discharged for “just cause.” According to the Arbitrator, determining just cause entails a two-step inquiry: “first, whether the evidence supports the Employer’s conclusion that a disciplinary offense was committed; and second, if so, whether the penalty imposed was appropriate and justified by the gravity of the offense.” The Company argued that O’Hearn’s discharge was justified not only because he had failed to respond to the alarm (a failure that led to substantial property damage), but also because he lied repeatedly about the incident throughout the ensuing investigation. Because, the Company maintained, O’Hearn’s dishonesty established that he was not “trustworthy” or “reliable,” his further employment would run contrary to NRC regulations that required the Company to provide “high assurance” that employees in O’Hearn’s position were both “trustworthy” and “reliable” individuals. In sum, the Company argued that O’Hearn’s conduct amounted to “gross negligence,” which was more than adequate to justify termination. In response, the Union argued that the Company lacked just cause for the termination. Advancing multiple arguments, the Union maintained that O’Hearn had, in fact, performed his job properly; that the Company had not sustained any damage as a result of the sprinkler having gone off; that any property damage that did occur was caused by the faulty sprinkler, not by O’Hearn; that, in any event, discharge was a disproportionately harsh penalty because at most O’Hearn was careless but not grossly negligent; and that any disciplinary decision must account for O’Hearn’s prior eight and one-half years of unblemished service to the Company. The Arbitrator found for the Union, but not before concluding that O’Hearn had indeed lied to cover up the incident. The Arbitrator’s conclusions on this score were clear, as he noted that O’Hearn “lost his credibility and integrity” on account of his testimony; that O’Hearn is a “perpetually] untruthful person ... whose testimony changes like the ocean tide;” and that there were a “litany of untruthful statements by O’Hearn during these proceedings” that were “far too many to list.” In his summary findings, the Arbitrator conceded that the Company’s “argument that O’Hearn was untruthful are [sic] sound and correct.” Nonetheless, the Arbitrator concluded that the Company had failed to establish “just cause” for the discharge. First, rejecting the Company’s argument that O’Hearn was guilty of “gross negligence” sufficient to justify discharge, the Arbitrator found that in failing to respond to the monitor O’Hearn had been “careless and negligent” but not “grossly negligent.” Although noting that termination might be appropriate “where the employee is guilty of a single flagrant willful act or one act of ‘gross negligence,’ ” the Arbitrator reflected that “[g]enerally speaking, one act of negligence or carelessness is not grounds for an employee’s discharge.” Reasoning that “negligence ... is a disciplinary offense, but not a discharge under these circumstances,” the Arbitrator found that O’Hearn should not have been fired because “[t]here was no evidence to suggest” that he had engaged in “a malicious or evil act.” Furthermore, noting that “it is not unusual for an Arbitrator to consider an employee’s past record,” the Arbitrator concluded that O’Hearn’s unblemished record during his previous eight and one-half years of service was additional evidence that discharge was inappropriate. Ultimately, the Arbitrator concluded that the penalty was “rightly disproportionate to the offense” and was “too severe under guidelines of ‘progressive discipline,’ ” which contemplate that warnings and suspension should precede discharge. Accordingly, the Arbitrator ordered O’Hearn’s reinstatement with 17 months’ back pay, and indicated that his record should reflect a 30 day suspension for his carelessness in response to the alarm and for his untruthfulness during the ensuing investigation.