Court Opinion

ID: 9582142
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 22:22:58.534148+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:37:28.795808
License: Public Domain

*348SCHUDSON, J.
¶ 11. (concurring). Although I arrive at the majority's destination, my bus travels a more direct route.
¶ 12. Griffin is an employee covered by the Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act (WFMLA). She also is an employee covered under the labor agreement between her union and Milwaukee Transport Service (MTS). Under the WFMLA, Griffin is entitled to no more than two weeks of unpaid medical leave each year for "a serious health condition which makes the employee unable to perform . . . employment duties." Under her labor agreement, beginning with her second year of employment, Griffin is entitled to eight days of paid sick leave and the accruement of unused sick leave.
¶ 13. Due to a disabling illness, Griffin was unable to perform her duties on May 23, 24, 27, 28, 29 and 30, 1998. On May 27, she requested unpaid medical leave under the WFMLA. On her application for medical leave, Griffin responded "no" to the question asking whether she wanted to substitute accrued paid sick leave under her labor contract for unpaid medical leave under the WFMLA. Despite her negative response, MTS substituted paid sick leave under her labor contract for unpaid medical leave under the WFMLA, for the last five of the six days of her absence from work.
¶ 14. Apparently, Griffin was willing to forego paid sick leave under her labor contract in order to preserve such paid sick leave for possible future use, and for purposes beyond the "serious health condition" covered under the WFMLA. Her desire to do so was protected under WlS. Stat. § 103.10(5)(b), which states: "An employe[e] may substitute, for portions of family *349leave or medical leave, paid or unpaid leave of any other type provided by the employer."
¶ 15. The Department of Workforce Development regulations further clarify that Griffin had the option to do so. Wisconsin Administrative Code § DWD 225.03 provides:
Substituting leave. (1) At the option of the employe[e], an employe[e] entitled to family or medical leave under the act may substitute, for any leave requested under the act, any other paid or unpaid leave that has accrued to the employefe].
(3) The employer may not require an employe[e] to substitute any other paid or unpaid leave available to the employe[e] for either family or medical leave under the act.
And in Richland School District v. DILHR, 174 Wis. 2d 878, 498 N.W.2d 826 (1993), the supreme court further confirmed the employee's right to substitute, stating: "When the employer provides leave, the statute does not restrict or limit the employee's power of substitution; the decision to substitute is left to the employe[e]'s discretion. Nor does the statute state that the employe[e]'s right to substitute is limited by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement." Id. at 895.
¶ 16. Under the unambiguous words of the statute and regulation, and as further confirmed by the supreme court in Richland, Griffin alone had the option to substitute; she elected not to do so. MTS had no authority to override her decision. Thus, I agree with the majority's conclusion and respectfully concur.