American Federation of Government Employees, Council 33 v. Barr

794 F. Supp. 1466, 7 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 823, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7362, 1992 WL 114768
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedMay 12, 1992
DocketNo. C-88-1419 SAW
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 794 F. Supp. 1466 (American Federation of Government Employees, Council 33 v. Barr) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Federation of Government Employees, Council 33 v. Barr, 794 F. Supp. 1466, 7 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 823, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7362, 1992 WL 114768 (N.D. Cal. 1992).

Opinion

JUDGMENT

WEIGEL, District Judge.

Plaintiffs sued to enjoin an allegedly unconstitutional drug testing program. The program was instituted by the United States Department of Justice for employees of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (the “Bureau”). Plaintiffs are a union that represents Bureau employees. In June 1988, this Court granted plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction and enjoined the testing of any Bureau employee absent reasonable suspicion that drug use by that employee impaired his or her ability to perform official duty. American Federation of Government Employees, Council 33 v. Meese, 688 F.Supp. 547, 556 (N.D.Cal.1988). In September 1989, upon reconsideration of the case in light of decisions by the United States Supreme Court in Skinner v. Railway Labor Executives’ Ass’n, 489 U.S. 602, 109 S.Ct. 1402, 103 L.Ed.2d 639 (1989) (“Skinner”), and National Treasury Employees Union v. Von Raab, 489 U.S. 656, 109 S.Ct. 1384, 103 L.Ed.2d 685 (1989) (“Von Raab”), this Court reaffirmed the preliminary injunction without modification. American Federation of Government Employees, Council 33 v. Thornburgh, 720 F.Supp. 154 (N.D.Cal.1989). Before that reaffirmation, the Court had denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment on plaintiffs’ claims under the Fourth Amendment and the Civil Service Reform Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(10).

Defendants now renew their motion for summary judgment on these claims. Supporting this renewed motion are a number of decisions by the Ninth Circuit and other jurisdictions upholding drug-testing programs with many of the same components as the program proposed by defendants. Defendants have also modified their original proposal in an attempt to bring it within constitutional bounds under prevailing case law. Plaintiffs agree that summary adjudication is appropriate but they raise objections to various aspects of defendants’ modified proposal.

I. BACKGROUND

The drug-testing program proposed by the Bureau in 1988 called for the random testing of all Bureau employees. AFGE v. Meese, 688 F.Supp. at 549. The program also provided for the regular testing of job applicants, probationary employees, and management employees; testing in connection with on-the-job accidents or unsafe activities; and testing upon reasonable suspi[1469]*1469cion that an employee was under the influence of or using drugs. Id. at 549 and n. 2. This Court enjoined all proposed testing save that based on reasonable suspicion that drug use by an employee impaired his or her ability to perform official duty. Id. at 556. Several findings underlay this Court’s decision. First, the Court found that the specific testing procedure — urinalysis — was both highly intrusive and minimally conclusive. Id. at 551-52. The Court also found the government interests purportedly served by the testing — safety, prevention of corruption, and preservation of public confidence in the Bureau — less than compelling. Id. at 552-54. The Court specifically noted the inability of urinalysis to demonstrate current impairment and the complete absence of any evidence indicating the existence or imminence of safety problems or employee corruption related to drug use by Bureau employees. Id. at 553-54. The Court concluded that less intrusive measures could deter the introduction of drugs by employees at Bureau institutions. Id. at 554.

Defendants’ new program proposes testing in the same general categories initially outlined. The proposed random testing is now narrowed, however, to cover certain “testing-designated positions.” Both the “post-accident” and “reasonable suspicion” components have also been somewhat narrowed. Plaintiffs nevertheless maintain their constitutional challenge to these three components.1

II. DISCUSSION

A. Standards.

It is undisputed that mandatory urinalysis is a “search” under the Fourth Amendment. Skinner, 489 U.S. at 617, 109 S.Ct. at 1413. Whether it is an unreasonable search depends upon its nature and all the circumstances surrounding it. Id. at 619, 109 S.Ct. at 1414 (citation omitted). Neither a warrant nor probable cause is required where “special needs, beyond the normal need for law enforcement make such a prerequisite impracticable.” Id. (citations omitted). The government’s interest in operating a government office can present such “special needs” to justify a departure from the usual Fourth Amendment requirements. Id. at 620, 109 S.Ct. at 1414-15. When faced with such special needs, this Court must “balance the governmental and privacy interests” to determine whether a search is reasonable and thus constitutional. Id. at 619, 109 S.Ct. at 1414; Von Raab, 489 U.S. at 665, 679, 109 S.Ct. at 1390, 1397-98. The Ninth Circuit has followed this balancing approach in four recent decisions upholding drug-testing programs that allow the testing of employees absent reasonable suspicion of on-the-job impairment. Railway Labor Executives’ Ass’n v. Skinner, 934 F.2d 1096 (9th Cir.1991) (“RLEA 17”); Int’l Brotherhood of Teamsters v. Dept. of Transportation, 932 F.2d 1292 (9th Cir.1991) {“Teamsters”) Int’l Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1245 v. Skinner, 913 F.2d 1454 (9th Cir.1990) (“IBEW”); Bluestein v. Skinner, 908 F.2d 451 (9th Cir.1990), cert. denied, — U.S.-, 111 S.Ct. 954, 112 L.Ed.2d 1042 (1991) (“Bluestein”).

“Special needs” exist here under the meaning of the recent cases. The Bureau plan is not designed to enforce drug laws but to ensure the safe and effective discharge of duties by Bureau personnel, particularly in the context of Bureau prisons. See Federal Bureau of Prisons Drug-Free Workplace Program Statement (“Program Statement”) at 1, 3-4. Test results may not be used in a criminal prosecution without the employee’s consent. Pub.L. 100-71, 5 U.S.C. § 7301 note, at § 3(e); cf. Von Raab, 489 U.S. at 666, 109 S.Ct. at 1390-91. The balancing test is therefore appropriate here. See Teamsters, 932 F.2d at 1299; Von Raab, 489 U.S. at 666, 109 S.Ct. at 1390-91.

B. Random Testing.

1. Privacy interests.

This Court found urinalysis — the Bureau’s proposed testing method — to be [1470]*1470highly intrusive. AFGE v. Meese, 688 F.Supp. at 551.2 Since that finding, the Supreme Court has rejected the notion that urinalysis is always a substantial privacy invasion. Von Raab, 489 U.S. at 671, 109 S.Ct. at 1393. That Court has also identified a number of factors that may reduce privacy expectations and thus the intrusiveness of the testing. These factors include prior notice, see id. at 672-73 n. 2,109 S.Ct. at 1394 n. 2; limited discretion in choosing the tested employees, see Skinner, 489 U.S. at 634, 109 S.Ct.

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AMERICAN FED. OF GOV. EMPLOYEES v. Barr
794 F. Supp. 1466 (N.D. California, 1992)

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794 F. Supp. 1466, 7 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 823, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7362, 1992 WL 114768, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-federation-of-government-employees-council-33-v-barr-cand-1992.