Court Opinion

ID: 9558267
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 17:05:41.717752+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:08:36.087014
License: Public Domain

ZIMMERMAN, Justice:
This is a pro se appeal from a decision of the Board of Review of the Industrial Commission of Utah, affirming the administrative law judge’s holding that claimant Lena Chapman voluntarily left work without good cause and thus disqualified herself from receiving unemployment compensation benefits under the Employment Security Act, U.C.A., 1953, §§ 35-4-1 to -26 (1974 & Supp.1983). While we agree that claimant did not have “good cause” for leaving her job, as required by the statute, we reverse because to deny claimant benefits would be contrary to equity and good conscience, a separate statutory ground for the award of benefits.
From August of 1978 until December 24, 1983, claimant was employed by K-Mart as a cafeteria cook. During that time, she was supervised by a woman whose behavior was often erratic and had worsened during the two years preceding claimant’s quitting. The supervisor periodically treated her employees poorly, often playing them off against each other. In particular, *1101she swore at claimant, accused her of doing things she had not done, and subjected her to unreasonable fits of anger. Claimant never reported this conduct to a superior because, although the supervisor’s behavior was extremely distressing to her personally, she felt sorry for her and did not want to jeopardize the supervisor’s job. Finally, on Christmas Eve of 1983, claimant walked off the job. The precipitating event was claimant’s request to the supervisor for help from one of the other employees who was not particularly busy at the time. For no apparent reason, the supervisor began screaming and swearing at claimant. A witness at the hearing, describing the Christmas Eve incident, stated that the supervisor acted as though she “was nuts, like she had just lost her mind.” Unable to tolerate further abuse from the supervisor, claimant walked out.
Claimant later applied for unemployment compensation, but it was denied on the grounds that she had left work voluntarily without good cause. She sought review of that decision, and on February 17,1984, the matter came before an administrative law judge. After hearing the testimony of claimant, a fellow cafeteria employee, and both the general and personnel managers of K-Mart, the administrative law judge affirmed the decision of the Department of Employment Security. He based his decision on Denby v. Board of Review of Industrial Commission, Utah, 567 P.2d 626 (1977), reasoning that where claimant had coped with her admittedly difficult employment conditions for five years and had never made her concerns known to anyone in a position to take corrective action on her behalf, she had not established “good cause” for quitting within the meaning of section 35-4-5(a) of the Code. The administrative law judge also concluded summarily that the same section’s provision allowing an award of benefits on the basis of equity and good conscience did not apply to this case.
Claimant appealed the administrative law judge’s decision to the Board of Review. The Board of Review affirmed, and claimant now appeals that affirmance. Although we agree that claimant did not establish good cause for quitting, we reverse because we find that the statutory standard of equity and good conscience has been met.
In Denby v. Board of Review, relied upon by the administrative law judge, we stated that to establish good cause for voluntarily leaving employment, the employee “must indicate an effort to work out the problems, unless he can demonstrate that such effort would be futile.” 567 P.2d at 630. No such showing was made in this case. Claimant tolerated the apparently outrageous behavior of her supervisor for five years and at no time complained to her supervisor's superiors or made any other attempt to solve the problem, and she presented no evidence that such an attempt would have been futile. In fact, the uncon-tradicted testimony of management was that a complaint would have brought relief. Therefore, the Commission found that good cause for quitting was not established, and we affirm that finding as being adequately supported by record evidence.1
Although claimant failed to establish good cause for leaving her employment, our inquiry cannot end here. For even if good cause is not shown, section 35-4-5(a) also permits payment of benefits if “[a] claimant leaves work under circumstances of such a nature that it would be contrary to equity and good conscience to impose a disqualification.” U.C.A., 1953, § 35-4-5(a) (Supp.1983).2
*1102We have held that the two standards incorporated in section 35-4-5(a), “good cause” and “equity and good conscience,” are separate and distinct bases on which a party who voluntarily leaves work may be awarded compensation:
On the plain meaning of the statute, it is clear that if no “good cause” is shown, the “equity and good conscience” standard is to be applied. Thus, even when an employee quits “voluntarily and without good cause,” benefits may be awarded if the Commission finds that “it would be contrary to equity and good conscience to impose a disqualification.”
Salt Lake City Corp. v. Department of Employment Security, Utah, 657 P.2d 1312, 1317 (1982); see also St. Benedict’s Hospital v. Department of Employment Security, Utah, 656 P.2d 1029 (1983).
In this case, the administrative law judge, after meticulously explaining why claimant’s actions failed to measure up to the good cause standard, simply announced that “[i]t is further determined that the provisions of equity and good conscience do not apply in this case.” On review, the Commission made no additional findings to support its conclusion that the equity and good conscience standard had not been met. The statute itself mandates that the Commission, in deciding claims under the alternative standard of equity and good conscience, must consider both “the reasonableness of the claimant’s actions” and the extent to which the claimant has “a genuine continuing attachment to the labor market.” U.C.A., 1953, § 35-4-5(a) (Supp. 1983). Because the Commission merely stated an unsupported conclusion, we are at a loss to know whether or to what extent the Commission considered these factors. And the conclusory nature of the administrative law judge’s determination is especially difficult to understand in light of the substantial record evidence that mandates an award based on equity and good conscience.
The findings of fact entered by the administrative law judge state that claimant’s supervisor was very difficult to get along with; that she was subject to periodic outbursts of anger, during which time she would swear at and demean her employees; and that she often behaved irrationally. The record also indicates that claimant’s failure to report her supervisor to management was motivated by a desire to protect her. Claimant knew that the supervisor was in poor health and did not want to cause her to be fired. While claimant’s inaction should not be condoned, under the circumstances it was not unreasonable.
Further, several letters written by claimant, who is acting pro se in this matter, appear in the record. They indicate claimant’s continuing desire to work and her frustration, at the age of 62, with her inability to find other employment. We have previously said that “[although the [Employment Security Act] is not designed to provide benefits to those who will not work, it is to be liberally construed and administered to assist those who are attached to the work force and need a bridge between jobs.” Salt Lake City Corp. v. Department of Employment Security, 657 P.2d at 1315 (citations omitted). Claimant had worked at her job for five years and only left when the situation became intolerable. She has since been seeking other employment without success.
Under the circumstances of this case, where the facts argue overwhelmingly in favor of a compensation award to claimant, we hold that as a matter of law the equity and good conscience standard has been satisfied.
Reversed.
HALL, C.J., and HOWE, and DURHAM, JJ., concur.

. The opinion of Justice Stewart appears to be based upon a generally applicable presumption that an effort to go over one’s supervisor’s head to work out problems is unnecessary because it will be futile. Such a presumption reflects a poor choice for a general policy, and applying that presumption to the case before us is unjustified. The employer’s general manager testified without contradiction that, had he been contacted by claimant, he would have been willing to intervene to resolve the problem that induced claimant to quit.

. The fact that claimant did not specifically seek benefits under the equity and good conscience provision does not bar its consideration. We *1102have previously held that once the question of good cause has been raised, all of the statutory provisions dealing with voluntarily leaving work may properly be considered. Salt Lake City Corp. v. Department of Employment Security, Utah, 657 P.2d 1312, 1319 (1982).