Opinion ID: 773633
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Relevant Class of Employees

Text: 38 In reaching its determination that the DWP engaged in an actual practice of making improper disciplinary suspensions, the district court considered the suspensions of four DWP management employees, who were employees of a different rank and members of a different bargaining group than the plaintiffs. The DWP argues that it was error for the court to do so, as the managers were governed by a different collective bargaining agreement and because the factors that govern the discipline of a manager are distinct from -- and often more severe than -- those that influence the discipline of a subordinate. 39 The DWP's argument, however, is also foreclosed by our decision in Klem. Klem involved two related groups of plaintiffs -- nurses and managers -- who were both purportedly salaried employees and both subject to the same disciplinary procedures pursuant to Santa Clara County Ordinance. 208 F.3d at 1088. Klem held that suspensions of all purportedly exempt employees were relevant to answering the question of the employer's intent. Id. at 1095. In this case, even though the managers were members of a different collective bargaining unit, there is no evidence suggesting the managers were not governed by the same disciplinary guide as the plaintiffs. It was therefore not error for the district court to consider these suspensions.