Opinion ID: 2625105
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Raymond v. Pacific Chemical

Text: Terry Raymond (Raymond) was a sales representative for Pacific Chemical, a division of Pace International, L.P. (Pacific Chemical), from May 1992 until September 18, 1996. Raymond organized the Puget Sound area and southeast Alaska territory to the satisfaction of his employer. However, this began to change when Pacific Chemical decided to restructure. On July 26, 1996, at a Friday afternoon meeting, Pacific Chemical informed Raymond he was being reassigned to Seattle and his compensation would be calculated differently. Previously, Raymond received commissions on his sales and a guaranteed minimum salary of $3,900 per month, resulting in earnings of approximately $66,800 in 1995. Under the new compensation plan, Terry would receive a base salary of approximately $54,720, a stipend for gas, and bonuses that reflected his sales performance. Raymond believed this formula would result in substantially lower pay. The following Monday, Raymond went on his scheduled two-week vacation. Raymond asserts that upon his return he was picked on by his supervisors in an attempt to drive him out of the company. Pacific Chemical later claimed there were problems with Raymond's job performance, attire, reports, and interaction with customers and coworkers. Raymond denied this, alleging it was part of a scheme to drive out himself and other older salespersons. Five weeks following Raymond's return from vacation, Pacific Chemical terminated him for insubordination. Raymond was 51 years old at the time. A younger and less experienced employee was assigned to his former sales area. Within a month of Pacific Chemical's restructuring, three other mature employees were either fired or encouraged to retire early even though they were some of the company's most experienced workers. The Raymonds sued Pacific Chemical and several of Raymond's supervisors (Supervisors), alleging he was discriminated against due to his age in violation of chapter 49.60 RCW. The Supervisors moved for summary judgment, which the trial court granted. The Raymonds appealed the decision. The Court of Appeals, Division One, affirmed. The Raymonds petitioned this court for review, which we granted and now reverse.