Opinion ID: 1943659
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Boise Investigation

Text: That afternoon, at 2 p.m., Rasmussen and R.B. met with Betty Leen, another Boise Human Resources Coordinator, to file an informal harassment complaint against Bahr. According to Leen's notes, Rasmussen and R.B. made three allegations of misconduct: (1) Bahr started the rumor about Rasmussen having an affair with R.B.; (2) Bahr yells and shouts and he is almost to the point of physical violence; and (3) Bahr will do as little as possible because he is mad at Boise. Because Rasmussen was worried that Bahr would put something in it, Rasmussen told Leen that he checks his lunch bucket and his garage at home. [4] Based on the complaint, Boise began an investigation of the allegations against Bahr. On October 19, 2001, Betty Leen met with Bahr and the union representative as part of the investigation. According to Leen's notes, Bahr denie[d] everything, and said that Rasmussen has been angry because he had to do stock in the West Warehouse (where Bahr works). Bahr also said that Dobbs harasses Bahr. [5] In addition to interviewing Bahr, Leen spoke with two other stores keepers that day as part of the investigation. After she completed these interviews, Betty Leen gave her notes to Barb Johnson, who continued the investigation. On October 22, 2001, Johnson met with Rasmussen. The union representative was also present. Rasmussen described the October 18 encounter with Bahr, stating that Bahr was yelling and threaten[ed] saying [you're] in deep shit! and `you're going to get your day!' About the affair rumor, Rasmussen stated that both J.P. and Bahr were the source. He also said that he was afraid of [Bahr] planting something in his lunch or garage now that [Rasmussen has] stepped up for [himself]. Rasmussen also said that Bahr does not want other employees to work faster than Bahr does and that Bahr has said to slow down work. Johnson also interviewed three other stores keepers who worked with Rasmussen and Bahr. She interviewed J.P. via telephone on October 22, 2001, and he confirmed that he was the source of the affair rumor. She also interviewed J.S., a Boise stores keeper who voluntarily went to Johnson to support Rasmussen. J.S. said that he believed Rasmussen, that he also had had difficult encounters with Bahr, and that Bahr had said not to work so fast. On October 23, 2001, Johnson interviewed the third stores keeper, and she said that Bahr had never said anything to her about slowing down the work. On October 25, 2001, Barb Johnson interviewed Bahr. Dobbs and the union representative were also present. Bahr described the October 18 encounter with Rasmussen and denied threatening him in any way. [6] Johnson asked Bahr about the specific allegations Rasmussen had made, and Bahr denied any misconduct. At the end of the interview, Johnson and Dobbs conferred privately and a decision was made that Bahr would be suspended for three days and asked to sign a last-chance agreement. Bahr testified that Johnson and Dobbs were gone for only a short time, and that when they returned to the room, they told him about the discipline. Bahr's theory at trial was that Boise had decided to discipline him even before Boise sought his side of the story. Boise denied this and Johnson testified that a preliminary decision was made to discipline Bahr but that it was dependent on what Boise learned from him. The last-chance agreement required Bahr's signature as an indication that he accepted the discipline. Under the last-chance agreement, Bahr would have had to acknowledge Rasmussen's allegations of harassment and agree that, if he committed one more violation of company policy, he could be terminated. Bahr told the company representatives that he would not sign the last-chance agreement, and Boise subsequently withdrew it, but the three-day suspension remained in place. On November 14, 2001, Bahr filed a grievance concerning the three-day suspension that was settled on May 27, 2003. The settlement included that all incidents and reports were erased from Bahr's record and Bahr was refunded his lost pay from the suspension.