Opinion ID: 1446239
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Barbara's Discrimination and Retaliation Claims

Text: Barbara, James's wife, worked for Motorola during the late 1990's and became a Motorola employee again in April 2001. Shortly after returning to Motorola, Barbara began working the weekend shift in the Rockford facility's Factory Express Program. At that time she reported to Don Smith, who fell under June Johnson's supervision. Between 2001 and 2002, Barbara took FMLA leave on several occasions when she or her husband was ill. On appeal, Barbara says Motorola took several actions against her because of her and her husband's use of FMLA leave. She claims that when she returned from leave, Smith would call her into his office to say that other employees had problems with her. For instance, he would say that employees complained that she was on edge. But Barbara acknowledged in her deposition that migraine headaches had put her on edge and that Smith would tell her that the complaints were no big deal. She testified that Smith would comment that if he had a full staff, he could get some work done, but we do not think such comments are alone sufficient to dissuade a reasonable person from taking FMLA leave. See White, 126 S.Ct. at 2409. Finally, Barbara accuses Smith of marking days taken off for. FMLA leave unexcused. [4] However, in initially marking' her absences unexcused Smith was merely following Motorola's policy. Generally an employee notifies her supervisor and the nurse upon taking FMLA leave. It is the nurse's obligation to determine whether the employee's leave falls under the FMLA. After making that determination, she notifies the employee's supervisor that the leave was or was not qualifying. Before receiving this notice, the supervisor is to record the absence as unexcused. In fact, a supervisor is only authorized to convert an absence from unexcused to excused upon receiving the nurse's notification. Barbara admits that her absences were eventually marked excused and that she was never disciplined for having temporary unexcused absences. So Barbara has failed to offer evidence that Smith marked' her absences unexcused as a penalty for her use of FMLA leave. Summary judgment was proper on her discrimination and retaliation claims.