Opinion ID: 748840
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Discharge of Arden Reust

Text: 9 As part of the Pioneer job, VVM was required to complete a tie-in of an existing underground gas line to the newly constructed addition to the Pioneer school. In order to complete this tie-in, the incoming gas supply had to be shut off. The gas was turned off on September 29, 1993 at 12:30 p.m. and was scheduled to be turned on the following morning at 9:30 a.m. in order to ensure the proper heating of the classrooms for the day's session. Reust, as the working foreman on the job, was responsible for accomplishing this tie-in within the allotted time frame. After the tie-in was accomplished, Reust installed a chart recorder to ascertain whether the connection could withstand the required pressure over an allotted period of time. When the test seemed to be working, he left for home and, on the way, reported to Van Vlerah that the project seemed to be satisfactory and that definitive results would be known in the morning. 10 Reust returned to the jobsite the following morning at 7 a.m. and found that the test pressure in the new lines had dropped significantly. That drop in pressure indicated a leak somewhere in the pipeline. A leak in the line was repaired and further work on the gas company's meter was ordered. The pressure appeared to be holding in the line at the usual quitting time; Reust therefore left the jobsite. On the way home, he stopped at VVM's facility to report the situation. At that time, he reported the problems at the Pioneer job to Karen Van Vlerah, also a VVM officer. 11 On the following morning, the pressure again had dropped in the line and further work was performed. At approximately 11 a.m., Tom Kirkwood, one of Reust's designated superiors, arrived at the jobsite. Kirkwood had designed the Pioneer heating and air-conditioning system and supervised its installation. Together, Reust and Kirkwood made preparations to reroute the gas line in order to fix the problem. They also determined that the remainder of the work should be completed the next day. That evening, Reust again discussed the situation with Karen Van Vlerah. Later that evening, James Van Vlerah, who had visited the jobsite and claimed that he had not been informed of the problem, called Reust at home and fired him. 12 Van Vlerah testified that he fired Reust because of the Pioneer job delay and his belief that Reust, as the foreman on the job, was responsible for that delay. He also testified that, over the course of the years, there had been other problems, although none of sufficient gravity to justify a written record. He mentioned piping practices that were wrong and poor judgment calls at times. Van Vlerah Mech., Inc., 1996 WL 41274, at  6. Van Vlerah also cited the fact that the engine of the company truck Reust was driving blew up in September 1993. Id. Van Vlerah held Reust responsible for the damage to the truck because the repair shop mechanics had told him that the person driving the truck should have heard the engine pounding. Notably, however, Van Vlerah, in an affidavit submitted to the Board prior to the hearing, stated that Reust had a severe hearing problem and thus might not have been able to hear the engine pounding. Moreover, Reust received no discipline regarding this incident.