Opinion ID: 722569
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: discharge of scott

Text: 21 After finishing an assigned job in Jacksonville, Florida, on November 15, 1991, employee Scott drove a Tel Data van he had been using to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for a two-week vacation. The following day Scott was involved in a traffic accident, which he immediately reported to Cowell. After a week in Myrtle Beach, Scott drove the van, which contained in excess of $20,000 of company equipment, to his home in Louisiana and had no further contact with Tel Data until he called on November 25 to inquire as to why his expense check had not been deposited into his account. At that time Scott was informed by Cowell that he was being discharged for unauthorized use of a Tel Data vehicle. 22 The ALJ also noted, and substantial evidence supports his finding, that when working on out-of-town jobs using a Tel Data vehicle, Scott was allowed to use it for a reasonable amount of personal use on weekends. (Emphasis added). After a traffic accident in the van, Scott reported it to his supervisor Cowell at his home. Scott claimed that Cowell instructed him to call the office manager on the next work day and to send her accident reports; not to worry about it. J/A at 15. 23 More than a week later, Scott called the office manager to inquire about his expense check after he had driven the van to his home in Louisiana (a total trip of some 1200 miles). At that point, Cowell advised Scott that he was being terminated for unauthorized use of the van. Scott filed a grievance, claiming that other employees engaged in the same conduct and that he had done nothing amiss. The union representative worked with Tel Data which then offered Scott reinstatement after a four or five week suspension without pay. Scott refused to sign the written proposal for reinstatement or to apologize. The union representative was disappointed and unhappy about Scott's decision, but Scott said he asked him to take the case to arbitration. The union representative, Parrish, testified that he told Scott that he was not sure the union would pursue the case to arbitration because it believed it had achieved a satisfactory settlement. In fact, the union decided it would not go forward to arbitration in light of the circumstances involved. The NLRB claims that Tel Data's termination of Scott was discriminatory and due to Scott's union connections and his association with Frederick. The Board took the position that the van policy announced November 19 was more restrictive and adopted in retaliation against Scott. 24 The Board's decision in rejecting the ALJ's findings and conclusions as to Scott (the issuance of the policy concerning van on out-of-town job assignments was not discriminatory or meant to retaliate) was that employees had been previously permitted to use company vans on their weekends and days off. J/A at 3. The examples of such use pointed to by the Board were: (1) Neal Ingram's use of a van for one week, driving from Texas to Arkansas and returning with prior knowledge; (2) Keith Bolton's approved use of a van for a weekend to go from the jobsite to his parents' home, all within Florida, only a fractional distance compared to Scott's trip; and (3) Frederick's use of a van twice for one week trips to an adjacent state with Cowell's knowledge. J/A at 3. These uses are clearly different from Scott's extended use of the van without prior knowledge. 25 Parrish testified that before November 19, on a limited basis, it was normal procedure that everyone used the vehicle as they pleased on their days off and off-time and free-time. J/A at 283. We find an absence of substantial evidence to support the Board's position on the Tel Data van policy and with respect to retaliation against Scott. On the other hand, there is abundant evidence to support the ALJ's finding and conclusion that the policy concerning out-of-town van use was neither changed nor discriminatory. J/A at 16. Employees, prior to November, 1991, generally obtained prior Tel Data approval for any trip or use beyond a weekend or for an extended trip. The before and after November 19 policy was basically unchanged. 26 No example mentioned by the Board comes even close to the kind of unauthorized use by Scott of a Tel Data van and his disregard of instructions about contacting the home office promptly after his accident. Scott's activity with the union had been minimal, and there was no evidence that Tel Data was aware of this, in contrast with Frederick's role in promoting compliance with the CBA. The ALJ's findings noted that union dues were never deducted from Scott's wages during his three years of service with Tel Data. The ALJ, judging Scott's credibility, found his self-serving testimony was fabricated, at least in part. J/A at 18. We conclude that the Board's purported basis for its decision is not persuasive under the facts and circumstances of this case. See Smiths Indus. v. NLRB, 86 F.3d 76 (6th Cir.1996). 27 In our view, the November van policy was essentially a codification of Tel Data's previous position on the issue. In addition to the lack of sufficient evidence indicating that Tel Data employees had unrestricted use of company vans prior to the implementation of the written van policy, Bolton testified that Scott stated before leaving for Myrtle Beach that he knew he wasn't supposed to take the van on vacation, but the only way he would get in trouble is if he wrecked the van. This testimony, expressly credited by the ALJ, was not even addressed by the Board, though it purported to have adopted the ALJ's credibility determinations. 28 Accordingly, we REVERSE the Board's decision as to Sherry Scott, but AFFIRM in other respects.