Opinion ID: 2982544
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Drug-Testing Policy

Text: Dura manufactures glass windows for cars, trucks, and buses at its Lawrenceburg facility. Between the end of 2006 and early 2007, Dura received reports of employees’ drug and alcohol abuse. The facility experienced some property damage and a few workplace accidents attributable to employees’ use of illegal and prescription drugs. In response, Dura implemented a new substance-abuse policy, which appeared in the March 2007 revision of the employee handbook and a July 2007 document issued by the Human Resources Department. The new policy prohibited employees from “being impaired by or under the influence” of alcohol, illegal drugs, or legal drugs—including prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs—to the extent that employees’ use of such drugs endangered others or affected their job performance. (R. 241, Substance Abuse Policy at 2–3.) Dura reserved the right to enforce its policy via employee drug testing. The new policy provided that “tests showing positive indication of drug/alcohol use will be confirmed” and that employees who tested positive could confidentially report to a medical review officer (“MRO”) their use of prescription medications that may have affected their test results. Dura claims that it 1 The plaintiffs in this suit originally included W illarene Fisher, whom the district court determined had a qualifying disability under the ADA. The jury ruled against her, however, and she does not appeal. Consequently, the remainder of this opinion addresses the remaining plaintiffs-appellees’ claims. No. 11-6088 Bates, et al. v. Dura Automotive Sys. Page 4 designed its new policy to comply with the Tennessee Drug Free Workplace Program.2 The parties dispute when the new policy took effect and whether Dura properly notified employees about the possibility of drug testing.