Court Opinion

ID: 9898050
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-11-14 19:28:06.517809+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:16:42.694378
License: Public Domain

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           IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

           EMMA WHITEHALL,
                                                           No. 83299-9-I
                 Appellant/ Cross-Respondent,
                                                           DIVISION ONE
                v.
                                                           PUBLISHED OPINION
           WASHINGTON STATE
           EMPLOYMENT SECURITY
           DEPARTMENT,

                 Respondent/ Cross-Appellant.

                COBURN, J. — A Washington Employment Security Department

          (Department) commissioner denied Emma Whitehall unemployment benefits.

          The commissioner determined that she voluntarily quit her position without good

          cause when she refused to comply with an employment policy knowing it would

          result in her job separation, and also that she was unavailable to accept work

          while she was seeking unemployment benefits because she did not have

          prearranged childcare. Snohomish County Superior Court disagreed that

          Whitehall voluntarily quit and that she was unavailable to accept work. The court

          nonetheless upheld the denial of benefits finding that Whitehall was disqualified

          because she was discharged for misconduct. Whitehall appeals and the

          Department cross-appeals the court’s ruling reversing the commissioner’s finding

          Citations and pin cites are based on the Westlaw online version of the cited material
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          No. 83299-9-I/2

          that Whitehall voluntarily quit and that she was unavailable to accept work.

          Substantial evidence supports the commissioner’s ruling that Whitehall

          voluntarily quit but did not support the ruling that she was unavailable to accept

          work. Thus, we affirm in part and reverse in part.

                                                   FACTS

                 Emma Whitehall began full-time employment at Sprouts Preschool and

          Childcare (Sprouts) in February 2017. At the time of Whitehall’s separation from

          Sprouts, she was a “lead infant teacher.” Throughout her employment, she was

          assigned to care for infants.

                 Sprouts only hired nonsmoking teachers and Whitehall did not smoke

          when she was hired. The staff handbook, which all teachers initial, sign, and

          date each year, contained a tobacco use policy stating the following:

                 Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products are prohibited on
                 Sprouts premises by Staff, Parents, or workers of any kind,
                 including parking lots and outdoor play areas. Smoking and the use
                 of smokeless tobacco products is also prohibited while on off-site
                 Sprouts field trips. Sprouts hires only non-smoking employees due
                 to asthma/allergies for staff and children.

          According to Jennifer Gifford, owner of Sprouts, this policy was based on

          Snohomish County Health District’s (SCHD) guidelines. 1 Gifford testified that

          SCHD recommended that she not hire teachers who smoke, vape, 2 or chew

          tobacco because of the third-hand risk of exposure from residue on clothes and

                 1
                   SCHD guidelines were not admitted at the hearing.
                 2
                   Merriam-Webster defines vape as “to inhale vapor through the mouth from a
          usually battery-operated electronic device (such as an electronic cigarette) that heats up
          and vaporizes a liquid or solid.” MERRIAM-W EBSTER ONLINE DICTIONARY,
          https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vape) (last visited January 3, 2023).

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          No. 83299-9-I/3

          hair. Gifford explained that she understood the information from SCHD to mean

          that vaping or e-cigarette liquid “juice” might not specify that it contains tobacco,

          but it might still contain trace amounts of tobacco.

                 In July 2019, Gifford learned from Whitehall’s social media post that she

          was smoking e-cigarettes. Whitehall had just started using e-cigarettes the prior

          week. On July 11, Gifford and the program supervisor had a meeting with

          Whitehall to inform her that because Sprouts only employs non-smoking

          teachers, per its tobacco use policy, she would have to quit to remain working

          there. Whitehall explained that she did not think that e-cigarettes qualified as

          smoking under the policy, and Gifford informed her that they did. Gifford

          explained that even though Whitehall was vaping on her lunch breaks or in the

          morning and not on the premises, there was still a risk of potential harm to the

          children, which was why Sprouts only hired non-smoking teachers. Gifford

          informed Whitehall that she would need to stop vaping in order to stay on staff.

                 Shortly after the meeting, Whitehall text messaged Gifford purporting that

          she would quit vaping. Whitehall stated that it would take a week for her to quit,

          and Gifford agreed that she could have a week to do so. In the administrative

          hearing, Whitehall explained that she initially agreed to quit out of fear of losing

          her job.

                 That same night Whitehall called Gifford informing her that she was not

          going to be able to quit vaping. “It wasn’t so much that I couldn’t stop, just that I

          did not think she had the right to expect me to stop. With the policy not

          mentioning vaping, I did not think I had to stop. Vaping on my breaks, I would

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          No. 83299-9-I/4

          have been fine, but [Gifford] does not have the right to tell me what to do with my

          personal time.” After Whitehall notified Gifford that she changed her mind,

          Gifford acknowledged that Whitehall was scheduled for work the next day, but

          Gifford did not have a replacement. The two agreed that Whitehall would not

          vape before coming into work the next day, July 12, and that Gifford would work

          on a plan to get staffing covered. Gifford was able to arrange coverage and

          emailed Whitehall on July 12 informing her that it would be her last day.

          Whitehall finished her full shift. Though she did not vape that day before work or

          during lunch, Whitehall testified that she had not quit vaping as of her last day.

                 The Department denied Whitehall’s application for unemployment

          compensation benefits. Whitehall appealed that decision.

                 At the administrative hearing, Whitehall testified that “vaping juice, uh,

          contains tobacco when you have a tobacco-flavored product . . . nicotine salt,

          which [has] low traces.” She thought that the smoke it emits dissipates four

          times faster than smoking, and although it does not have an odor, it might

          contain microscopic traces of tobacco, but she was not sure. She stated she

          was not hiding it from her coworkers because she did not think it would lead to

          her firing. Sprouts updated their policy for the next school year to be more

          specific to include e-cigarettes.

                 The administrative law judge (ALJ) issued an initial order disqualifying

          Whitehall from receiving unemployment benefits because she had been

          discharged for misconduct and was not available for work. Whitehall petitioned

          the commissioner of the Department to review the initial order.

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          No. 83299-9-I/5

                  The commissioner adopted all of the ALJ’s findings of fact and made

          augmented findings. The commissioner rejected the ALJ’s legal conclusions that

          Whitehall was discharged for misconduct, and instead concluded that she

          voluntarily quit without good cause, which disqualified her from receiving benefits

          under RCW 50.20.050(2)(a) for the period beginning July 7, 2019, and thereafter

          for seven calendar weeks and until she had obtained bona fide work in covered

          employment and earned wages in that employment equal to seven times her

          weekly benefit amount. The commissioner affirmed the ALJ’s conclusion on the

          issue of availability and held that Whitehall was ineligible under RCW

          50.20.010(1)(c) for the weeks at issue.

                  Whitehall appealed the commissioner’s decision to Snohomish County

          Superior Court, which affirmed on different grounds. It reversed as an error of

          law the commissioner’s ruling that Whitehall voluntarily quit her employment.

          The court concluded that substantial evidence supported that Sprouts discharged

          Whitehall for misconduct, which disqualified her from receiving unemployment

          compensation benefits. The court also concluded that substantial evidence did

          not support the commissioner’s finding that Whitehall was unavailable to accept

          work.

                  Whitehall appeals the court’s order denying unemployment compensation

          benefits. The Department cross-appeals the court’s reversal of the

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          No. 83299-9-I/6

          commissioner’s conclusions that Whitehall voluntarily quit and that she was

          unavailable to accept work. 3

                                               DISCUSSION

                                            Standard of Review

                 Washington's Administrative Procedure Act (APA), chapter 34.05 RCW,

          governs judicial review of employment benefits decisions. Michaelson v. Emp’t

          Sec. Dep’t, 187 Wn. App. 293, 298, 349 P.3d 896 (2015). We review only the

          commissioner’s decision, not the administrative law judge’s decision or the

          superior court’s ruling. Courtney v. Emp’t Sec. Dep’t, 171 Wn. App. 655, 660,

          287 P.3d 596 (2012) (citing Verizon Nw., Inc. v. Emp’t Sec. Dep’t, 164 Wn.2d

          909, 915, 194 P.3d 255 (2008)).

                 When reviewing the commissioner’s decision, we sit in the same position

          as the superior court and apply the APA standards directly to the administrative

          record. Courtney, 171 Wn. App. at 660. This court reviews the commissioner’s

          legal determinations using the APA’s “error of law” standard, which allows us to

          substitute our view of the law for the commissioner’s. Id. (citing Verizon, 164

          Wn.2d at 915); See RCW 34.05.570(3)(d).

                 3
                    On November 3, 2022, Whitehall submitted to the court a scientific study on
          “nicotine residues in houses of [e-cigarette] users, tobacco smokers, and non-users of
          nicotine-containing products” under RAP 10.8, which allows for parties to file additional
          authorities. The “purpose of RAP 10.8 ‘is to provide parties with an opportunity to bring
          to the court's attention cases decided after the parties submitted their briefs.’” Ghodsee
          v. City of Kent, 21 Wn. App. 2d 762 n.16, 782, 508 P.3d 193 (2022) (quoting Gull Indus.,
          Inc. v. Granite State Ins. Co., 18 Wn. App. 2d 842, 857 n.11, 493 P.3d 1183 (2021)).
          The study is not the type of additional authority contemplated by the rule and we do not
          consider it.

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          No. 83299-9-I/7

                 This court reviews an agency’s interpretation or application of the law de

          novo. Courtney, 171 Wn. App. at 660 (citing Honesty in Env’t Analysis & Legis.

          (HEAL) v. Cent. Puget Sound Growth Mgmt. Hearings Bd., 96 Wn. App. 522,

          526, 979 P.2d 864 (1999)). The APA allows reversal of an administrative

          decision if it is based on an error of law, if it is not based on substantial evidence,

          or if it is arbitrary or capricious. RCW 34.05.570(3)(d), (e), (i); Michaelson, 187

          Wn. App. at 298.

                 This court considers the commissioner’s decision as prima facie correct,

          and Whitehall bears the burden of establishing its invalidity. Smith v. Emp’t Sec.

          Dep’t, 155 Wn. App. 24, 32, 226 P.3d 263 (2010). This court gives substantial

          weight to the agency’s interpretation of the statutes it administers. Kirby v. Emp’t

          Sec. Dep’t, 179 Wn. App. 834, 843, 320 P.3d 123 (2014) (citing Everett Concrete

          Prods. Inc. v. Dep’t of Labor & Indus., 109 Wn.2d 819, 823, 748 P.2d 1112

          (1988)).

                                      Challenged Findings of Fact

                 The commissioner’s findings of fact are reviewed for substantial evidence

          in light of the entire record. Kirby, 179 Wn. App. at 843 (citing Smith, 155 Wn.

          App. at 32). “When a party contends an agency decision is not supported by

          substantial evidence, we review the entire agency record.” Affordable Cabs, Inc.

          v. Emp’t Sec. Dep’t, 124 Wn. App. 361, 367, 101 P.3d 440 (2004) (citing RCW

          34.05.570(3)(e)). “Substantial evidence is evidence that would persuade a fair-

          minded person of the truth or correctness of the matter.” Smith, 155 Wn. App. at

          32. The reviewing court is to view “the evidence and any reasonable inferences

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          No. 83299-9-I/8

          in the light most favorable to the party that prevailed” at the administrative

          proceeding below and may not re-weigh evidence, witness credibility, or

          demeanor. Affordable Cabs, 124 Wn. App. at 367.

          A. Harmful

                 Whitehall first challenges finding of fact 8 4 where the commissioner found

          that Gifford told Whitehall she must stop vaping to preserve her job “because

          tobacco residue on [Whitehall’s] clothing and person could be harmful to the

          children’s health.” She also challenges the commissioner’s augmented finding

          that “[t]he owner referenced policy, which the owner explained applied to e-

          cigarettes because the residue/third hand exposure to nicotine could be harmful

          to the health of the children.”

                 In context, the entire finding related to what Gifford informed Whitehall and

          was the basis of why she needed to stop vaping. The ALJ found,

                 [Gifford] spoke with [Whitehall] on July 11, 2019, about this post
                 and they reviewed Sprouts’ tobacco policy. [Gifford] informed
                 [Whitehall] that she must stop vaping to preserve her job because
                 tobacco residue on [Whitehall’s] clothing and person could be
                 harmful to the children’s health. [Whitehall] agreed to consider her
                 options.

          Whitehall does not provide any argument that she was not so informed.

          Whitehall also does not provide any argument that Gifford did not explain her

          reasoning as to why the tobacco policy applied to e-cigarettes. Whitehall does

          not advance any other argument to support her challenge to these findings.

                 4 The commissioner adopted the ALJ’s findings of fact.

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          No. 83299-9-I/9

                 During the administrative hearing, Gifford testified that she informed

          Whitehall that vaping was a risk to the children because there was potential for

          tobacco residue to reside on her clothing and person. Gifford also informed

          Whitehall that because Sprouts only employed nonsmoking teachers, she would

          need to quit vaping to remain working there. Substantial evidence supports

          finding of fact 8.

          B. Employs non-smoking employees

                 Whitehall also challenges finding of fact 10 that “Sprouts employs only

          non-smoking employees.” The commissioner also augmented the finding, which

          Whitehall does not challenge. The complete finding states, “[Gifford] discharged

          [Whitehall] from employment on July 12, 2019, on the basis that Sprout[s]

          employs only non-smoking employees.” The commissioner did not find as fact

          that every employee at Sprouts does not smoke. The commissioner found that

          Sprouts discharged Whitehall on the basis that its policy is to employ only non-

          smoking employees.

                 Sprouts’ tobacco use policy states that “Sprouts hires only non-smoking

          employees . . .” Additionally, Gifford testified that Sprouts only employs non-

          smoking teachers. Gifford also testified at the administrative hearing that she

          reminded Whitehall of its policy to hire only non-smoking employees and

          explained that “she could choose whether she wanted to continue . . . working

          there and not continue the smoking [of] e-cigarettes or whether she wanted to

          continue smoking e-cigarettes and not continue working there.” Substantial

          evidence supports finding of fact 10.

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          No. 83299-9-I/10

          C. Nicotine exposure

                 Whitehall additionally challenges the commissioner’s augmented finding

          that “[t]he owner determined the employer could not subject the children to

          ongoing risk of third hand nicotine exposure.” Whitehall provides no argument

          that Gifford did not make this determination, nor does she advance any other

          argument to support her challenge to this finding. Gifford wrote in her July 12

          email to Whitehall that “[Sprouts] employ[s] only non smoking/vaping teachers

          due to the risks of 3rd hand smoke for the children.” Whitehall also testified as to

          her concern for such risk. Substantial evidence supports this finding.

                 Insofar as Whitehall appears to suggest that the commissioner made a

          finding of fact that e-cigarettes leaves residue and creates third-hand exposure to

          nicotine that could be harmful to the health of the children, the commissioner did

          not make such a finding. 5

                                               Voluntary Quit

                 The legislature enacted the Employment Security Act 6 to award

          unemployment benefits to “persons unemployed through no fault of their own.”

          Courtney, 171 Wn. App. at 660 (quoting RCW 50.01.010; Safeco Ins. Co. v.

          Meyering, 102 Wn.2d 385, 392, 687 P.2d 195 (1984)).

                 5 We note that Whitehall herself testified that “vaping juice” “contains tobacco when

          you have a tobacco-flavored product.” Whitehall also testified that she believed the smoke
          e-cigarettes emit “dissipates four times faster than smoking,” but that she was “not saying
          that there aren’t, like, tiny, microscopic traces.”
                  6
                    Title 50 RCW; RCW 50.01.005.

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          No. 83299-9-I/11

                 RCW 50.20.050(1)(a) provides, “A claimant shall be disqualified from

          benefits” when “the claimant left work voluntarily without good cause. . .”

          Whitehall does not address whether she had good cause to quit under the

          relevant statute. 7 Instead, she argues that the commissioner erred when the

          commissioner found that Whitehall voluntarily quit rather than being improperly

          discharged. We agree with the commissioner.

                 The phrase “left work voluntarily” in RCW 50.20.050 is a legal phrase

          determined by the facts of the case. Courtney, 171 Wn. App. at 661 (quoting

          Read v. Emp’t Sec. Dep’t, 62 Wn. App. 227, 233, 813 P.2d 1262 (1991)). The

          act requires the Department to analyze the facts of each case to determine what

          actually caused the employee’s separation. Courtney, 171 Wn. App. at 661

          (citing Safeco, 102 Wn.2d at 392-93). “Whether a worker voluntarily left or was

          discharged must be resolved on a basis of the worker’s intent.” Korte v. Emp’t

          Sec. Dep’t, 47 Wn. App. 296, 301, 734 P.2d 939 (1987) (citing Safeco, 102

          Wn.2d at 392-93). “A voluntary termination requires a showing that an employee

          intentionally terminated her own employment or committed an act that the

          employee knew would result in discharge.” Courtney, 171 Wn. App. at 661.

                 The Department cites to Courtney and Korte to support its position that

          Whitehall voluntarily quit her position. In Courtney, an employee returned from

          vacation learning that there had been a dispute and a co-owner had been

                 7
                   Because the date of separation is July 12, 2019, a claimant who quit has good
          cause and is not disqualified from benefits only under the circumstances listed under
          RCW 50.20.050(1)(b). RCW 50.20.050 provides an exhaustive list of good cause
          reasons to quit—ability to vape not being one of them. A person who quits without good
          cause is disqualified from unemployment benefits for seven weeks, while a discharge for
          misconduct disqualifies a person for 10 weeks. RCW 20.50.050, 066.

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          No. 83299-9-I/12

          removed from a management position, but that he was contesting his removal.

          Courtney, 171 Wn. App. at 658. The employee went into the office to retrieve her

          paycheck. Id. One of the new management members saw her on her way out of

          the office and let her know her job was safe and they still wanted her to work for

          them, giving her two days to decide. Id. The following week, she remained in

          contact with the removed co-owner and worked from home, but she did not

          speak to the new management. Id. The court held that she voluntarily quit her

          job, reasoning that Courtney’s deliberate choice not to report to work under the

          new management demonstrated her intent to quit. Id. at 663. It explained that

          she “committed an act that [she] knew would result in discharge.” Id. at 661.

          “[N]either RCW 50.20.050(2) nor case law requires a written distillation of intent

          or that intent be affirmatively expressed as distinguished from a failure to act.”

          Id. at 661.

                 In Korte, the employer told the employee that an employment contract was

          nonnegotiable and a condition of continued employment. Korte, 47 Wn. App. at

          297-98. The employee was given 72 hours to accept or reject the contract. Id.

          On the last day of the 72-hour period, the employee refused to sign and asked to

          continue negotiations. Id. The employer told the employee that if she did not

          sign the contract, she should leave her keys on her desk at 4 o’clock that

          afternoon. Id. Korte did not sign the contract and turned in her keys at the end

          of the work day. Id. Though the issue in Korte was whether the employee had

          good cause to quit, and not whether she quit, the Korte facts are still analogous

          to the instant case.

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          No. 83299-9-I/13

                 In both Courtney and Korte, the employer wanted the employee to

          continue employment, but the employee did not want to continue working under

          the employer’s conditions. In Courtney, the employee had to work under new

          management. In Korte, the employee had to sign an employment contract. In

          both cases, the employee was given a deadline to decide. In Courtney, the

          employee’s intent to quit was exhibited by not responding within the deadline. In

          Korte, the employee’s intent to quit was exhibited by not signing the contract and

          leaving her keys.

                 Like the employees in Courtney and Korte, Whitehall had the option to

          continue employment upon a condition that Whitehall did not agree with. When

          Gifford told Whitehall her continued employment required her to refrain from

          using e-cigarettes, she testified that at first she agreed to quit using them out of

          fear of losing her job. When she later changed her mind, she did so with

          knowledge that she could no longer work at the childcare facility. Like the

          employees in Courtney and Korte, Whitehall made a choice that she knew did

          not comply with an employer condition that would result in job separation.

          Substantial evidence supports the commissioner’s determination that the

          voluntary quit statute applied because “the claimant correctly understood that

          continuation of the employment relationship was contingent on her agreement to

          comply with a specified term of her employment. The decision was [Whitehall’s]

          to make. Her definitive choice – that she would not comply – effectively initiated

          the job separation.”

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          No. 83299-9-I/14

                  We reverse the superior court and reinstate the commissioner’s decision

          that Whitehall voluntarily quit without good cause.

                                          Availability for Work

                  Though our holding that Whitehall voluntarily quit is dispositive, we

          address the issue of whether Whitehall made herself available for work because

          the Department specifically cross-appealed this issue. Whitehall contends that

          the commissioner erred by concluding Whitehall was not available to accept

          suitable work because she acknowledged she would need childcare. The

          Department cross-appeals the superior court’s reversal of the commissioner’s

          determination that Whitehall was ineligible because she was not available for

          work.

                  The commissioner adopted and affirmed the ALJ’s findings of fact and

          conclusions that she was not available for work. The commissioner found that

          during the weeks that Whitehall claimed unemployment benefits, she was able to

          work at a suitable job and was actively seeking suitable work as required. The

          commissioner additionally found that she had two children in her household ages

          four and five. The commissioner observed that while Whitehall was working at

          Sprouts, she received an employee discount where she could bring her children

          to work with her, but Whitehall did not currently have any childcare arrangements

          in place since she separated from employment with Sprouts. She enrolled in a

          master’s program and classes would begin on September 25, 2019.

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          No. 83299-9-I/15

                 The commissioner concluded in light of these facts Whitehall was not in

          compliance with the requirements of RCW 50.20.010 and that she was ineligible

          for unemployment benefits.

                 RCW 50.20.010 provides benefit eligibility conditions. RCW

          50.20.010(c)(i) specifically states that an unemployed individual shall be eligible

          to receive benefits with respect to any week in his or her eligibility period only if

          the commissioner finds that:

                 (c) The individual is able to work, and is available for work in any
                 trade, occupation, profession, or business for which the individual is
                 reasonably fitted.
                        (i) To be available for work, an individual must be ready,
                        able, and willing, immediately to accept any suitable work
                        which may be offered to him or her and must be actively
                        seeking work pursuant to customary trade practices and
                        through other methods when so directed by the
                        commissioner or the commissioner's agents. . .

          (Emphasis added.) The Department regulations state in general, the Department

          will consider claimants available for work if they do not impose conditions that

          substantially reduce or limit their opportunity to return to work at the earliest

          possible time. WAC 192-170-010(1)(c). Claimants carry the burden to prove

          they have the right to benefits. Jacobs v. Off. of Unemployment Comp. &

          Placement, 27 Wn.2d 641, 651, 179 P.2d 707 (1947).

                 The Department contends that Whitehall put two restrictions on her

          availability for work—the fact that she enrolled in a master’s program as a full-

          time student, and she did not have a childcare plan for her two minor children.

                 The Department misreads the record. RCW 50.20.095 disqualifies

          individuals from recovering benefits when they are enrolled in classes for 12 or

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          No. 83299-9-I/16

          more hours unless an exception applies. The Department defines the period of

          disqualification to start “with the week the instruction begins.” WAC 192-200-

          005(2). The ALJ expressly noted that because Whitehall was not in school

          during the claimed benefits weeks at issue, the fact that she was enrolled to

          begin school later is of no matter as indicated by the following exchange between

          the ALJ and Whitehall.

                 JUDGE LOCKWOOD: Okay. All right. And so, um, while you’ve
                 been claiming unemployment benefits, have you been in school?

                 MS. WHITEHALL: No.

                 JUDGE LOCKWOOD: Okay. So that doesn’t kick in here –

                 In other words, Whitehall was claiming benefits for July 2019 through

          August 2019, and her master’s program began in September 2019. Thus, the

          basis for the ALJ’s conclusion that Whitehall was ineligible for benefits rested on

          her childcare situation, which the ALJ also questioned Whitehall about.

                 JUDGE LOCKWOOD: Okay. And, uh, do you have a childcare
                 plan organized so that you’re available to look for work and take a
                 job?

                 MS. WHITEHALL: I do not at the moment.

                 JUDGE LOCKWOOD: Okay. Um, what would you do, then, if
                 some employer said, “Yes, I’d like to hire you, uh, starting
                 tomorrow”?

                 MS. WHITEHALL: Um, I would have to, like, figure out what the
                 hours are. I mean, I’ve looked at a couple things, and there’s, like,
                 before and after programs and this and that, and it would just kind
                 of depend on what the job is and what hours they’re offering. Not
                 every job offers, like, a Monday through Friday eight to five, and in
                 childcare those are hard spots to get anyway, so it would just have
                 to be kind of when I figured out a job that I can obtain and then kind
                 of see, like, maybe I could do nights, maybe I could do weekends.
                 Um, I’m not sure. So I can’t preplan it because I don’t know.

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          Gifford even came to Whitehall’s defense regarding prearranging childcare. She

          told the ALJ,

                 I would – I would just like to add, to support what she was saying,
                 um, it would be expensive to enroll a child or two children into
                 childcare before you have a job lined up. Um, so I just – I want to
                 support that it definitely makes sense to not line up childcare until
                 you know what your job is and your hours are, um, just being in that
                 field. I don’t know if that’s helpful, but –

          Whitehall acknowledged that she “might have to do childcare again” until she

          starts school in the fall.

                 The Department contends that “Whitehall was unavailable to immediately

          accept work because she lacked a childcare plan for her two minor children if she

          was offered work.” The Department relies on two published commissioner

          decisions that have “consistently determined that a lack of childcare may

          constitute a substantial restriction.” The Department cites In re Lininger, Emp.

          Sec. Comm’r Dec.2d 213, 1976 WL 183438 (1976) and In re Yeoman, Emp. Sec.

          Comm’r Dec.2d 1200, 1974 WL 177568 (1974).

                 The commissioner has authority to designate certain unemployment

          benefits decisions as precedent and to publish those decisions. Martini v. Emp.

          Sec. Dep’t, 98 Wn. App. 791, 795, 990 P.2d 981 (2000); RCW 50.32.095. “Such

          precedents are persuasive authority in this court.” Martini, 98 Wn. App. at 795.

                 In Lininger, the claimant had an epileptic son who also had various

          allergies. Lininger, 1976 WL 183438, at *1. The claimant missed work for a

          number of days when the son’s babysitter would not keep the son because of the

          nature of his illness. Id. After the claimant was discharged for absenteeism, she

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          No. 83299-9-I/18

          applied for unemployment benefits and was denied. Id. The commissioner

          concluded that the claimant had not actively sought work throughout the entire

          period in question. Id. at *3. The commissioner also addressed whether the

          claimant made herself available for work. During the course of a Department

          interview, the claimant stated that she had “not lined up a sitter yet but I believe

          that I can get my neighbor to take my boy from the Headstart class to the day

          care center.” Id. at *1. The commissioner noted that the claimant was not

          directly questioned at the hearing as to when she obtained reliable childcare but

          noted that the claimant’s notice of appeal stated it was the very next day. Id.

          The commissioner concluded that the lack of adequate care for her young son

          posed a substantial restriction on her immediate availability for work between the

          time she applied for benefits until the time she obtained reliable child care. Id. at

          *3.

                 In Yeoman, the claimant was a dinner or fry cook. Yeoman, 1974 WL

          177568, at *1. She admitted she was not available for late swing shift or

          graveyard shift work because of her inability to find a suitable babysitter for her

          son during those hours. Id. at *2. The claimant also limited her availability to

          work geographically because of transportation issues. Id. The commissioner

          concluded that the claimant was not available for all shifts customary to her

          occupation, nor was she available throughout her labor market area. Id.

                 Unlike the claimant in Yeoman, nothing in the record establishes that

          Whitehall was not available for all shifts customary to her occupation or that she

          was not available throughout her labor market area. Unlike the claimant in

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          No. 83299-9-I/19

          Lininger, Whitehall was actively seeking work. The commissioner found that

          “[d]uring the weeks the Claimant claimed unemployment benefits, the Claimant

          was able to work at a suitable job, and she was actively seeking suitable work as

          required.”

                 As our Supreme Court observed in Jacobs, “No one prescribed set of

          factors can be compiled to govern every individual claimant in every situation, but

          each case depends largely upon its own peculiar facts and circumstances.”

          Jacobs, 27 Wn.2d at 652.

                 At oral argument, the Department asserted that in Jacobs our Supreme

          Court also held that “a worker’s family responsibilities or other personal

          circumstances do not excuse significant limitations on availability.” Wash. Court

          of Appeals oral argument, Whitehall vs. Emp’t Sec. Dep’t, No. 83299-9-I

          (November 3, 2022), at 17 min., 54 sec. through 18 min., 07 sec., video

          recording by TVW, Washington State’s Public Affairs Network,

          https://tvw.org/video/division-1-court-of-appeals-

          2022111120/?eventID=2022111120. However, in Jacobs, our Supreme Court

          determined that the claimant was unavailable for work because she restricted her

          job search to daytime employment, did not show she had suitable transportation

          if she was offered work, and did not show she was seeking work as required by

          statute. Jacobs, 27 Wn.2d at 660.

                 The commissioner in the instant case concluded that “the absence of a

          childcare plan for the Claimant's two minor children presents a significant

          impediment or limitation on the Claimant's ability to actively seek suitable

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          employment, and her availability for all customary hours of employment. As the

          Claimant candidly acknowledged, she was able to work at Sprouts in large part

          because discounted childcare was available to her.”8

                 However, nothing in the record shows that not having a specific childcare

          plan impeded or limited Whitehall’s ability to actively seek suitable employment

          or make her available for all customary hours of employment. Nothing in the

          record established that Whitehall was offered employment but turned it down

          because of a lack of childcare plan for the relevant period at issue. Despite

          having young children, Whitehall was willing to work days, evenings, and

          weekends. She was open to working in childcare again and she would have to

          “figure out” her childcare plan, but it “would just kind of depend on what the job is

          and what hours they’re offering.” While Whitehall did not have a specific plan,

          she was planning. She testified that she “looked at a couple things, and there’s,

          like, before and after programs.”

                 While certainly some people may be fortunate enough to know someone

          who could babysit at a moment’s notice, that is the exception, not the norm. As

          Gifford explained, it is impractical for someone who cannot afford childcare while

          unemployed to spend money to arrange for childcare prior to gaining

          employment. To do so in order to qualify for unemployment defies logic. To

          expect someone to spend money to secure childcare on a schedule that may or

          may not coincide with future work hours, rewards those with the privilege to be

                 8
                    The commissioner adopted the ALJ’s conclusions of law related to the issue of
          availability for work.

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          able to do so while putting those who are likely in greater need of employment

          benefits at a disadvantage.

                 The commissioner’s conclusion that Whitehall did not make herself

          available to work under RCW 50.20.010 is not supported by substantial

          evidence.

                                            Attorney Fees

                 Whitehall requests attorney fees under RAP 18.1(a) and RCW 50.32.160,

          which provides for attorney fees if “the decision of the commissioner shall be

          reversed or modified.” Because we affirm the commissioner’s decision that she

          voluntarily quit without good cause, we decline to award fees.

                                            CONCLUSION

                 We reverse the superior court and reinstate the commissioner’s decision

          that Whitehall voluntarily quit without good cause. We also affirm the superior

          court’s reversal of the commissioner’s decision that Whitehall was ineligible for

          benefits under RCW 50.20.010(c)(i).

          WE CONCUR:

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