Opinion ID: 1420265
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The claims the trial court found pre-empted

Text: The superior court concluded that Kotowski's just cause termination, sexual discrimination, and implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing claims were pre-empted by section 301 of the Labor Management Relations Act (LMRA), 29 U.S.C. § 185. The court concluded that these claims were subject to the grievance arbitration procedures of the LMRA. It interpreted the LMRA as requiring Kotowski to present these claims within six months of the date she knew or should have known that her union would not pursue her grievance. Based on this interpretation, the superior court instructed the jury to proceed to the merits of Kotowski's just cause termination, sexual discrimination, and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing claims only if it found that she had brought these claims within the six-month LMRA limitations period. The jury found that Kotowski had failed to proceed within the limitations period, and thus rejected these claims without addressing their merits. The jury awarded $8,494.40 for lost earnings. Norcon contends that the trial court erred by including this award in the final judgment, in view of the court's ruling that Kotowski's wrongful termination claim was subject to the LMRA and the jury's determination that the LMRA limitations period had run. The court also directed a verdict for the defendants on Kotowski's claims for unpaid wages, overtime, and penalties, finding that these claims likewise fell under the LMRA grievance procedure. On cross-appeal, Kotowski concedes that her just cause termination claim was subject to the LMRA statute of limitations, but argues that her sexual discrimination, good faith and fair dealing, unpaid wages, overtime, and penalties claims were not pre-empted.