Appleton Electric Co. v. Minor

284 N.W.2d 99, 91 Wis. 2d 825, 1979 Wisc. LEXIS 2146
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 9, 1979
DocketNo. 77-047
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 284 N.W.2d 99 (Appleton Electric Co. v. Minor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Appleton Electric Co. v. Minor, 284 N.W.2d 99, 91 Wis. 2d 825, 1979 Wisc. LEXIS 2146 (Wis. 1979).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

The Appleton Electric Company, plaintiff-appellant, appeals from a judgment affirming the decision of the Department of Industry, Labor and Human Relations which modified and affirmed the decision of an appeal tribunal holding that John E. Minor, defendant-respondent, was not discharged for misconduct connected with his employment within the meaning of sec. 108.04(5), Stats., and was therefore eligible for unemployment compensation based on his employment with the Appleton Electric Company.

Minor, the employee, worked as a die cast operator for the appellant. During the course of his employment he was required to spray a die lubricant on certain materials. Fifteen or twenty minutes before his shift ended Minor approached his supervisor and stated he had sprayed some die lubricant on his person and asked per[827]*827mission to take a shower. Permission was denied; however, Minor proceeded to take a shower contrary to the directions of his supervisor. His supervisor recommended that the employee be discharged for insubordination, and the next day his employment was terminated.

The principal evidentiary issue is the extent to which the die lubricant had been sprayed upon the person of Minor. A department deputy interviewed Minor in response to his initial application for unemployment compensation. It appears that at this time Minor signed a statement in which he said the fluid had sprayed on his face and he had told his supervisor he was going to take a shower to clean his face. On the basis of this statement the department deputy found that Minor had been discharged for misconduct connected with his employment and denied him benefits.

Minor then requested a hearing before the appeal tribunal. At the hearing the supervisor testified that Minor approached him fifteen minutes before the end of his shift and wanted to take a shower because the lubricant had sprayed on his face. The supervisor could not see any lubricant on Minor’s face and told him to wait until the end of the shift. Minor disregarded this instruction and proceeded to take a shower. Whereupon the supervisor recommended his discharge for insubordination and Minor was discharged the following day. The supervisor did not know whether Minor had an existing dermatology problem.

At the hearing and contrary to his statement to the department deputy, Minor testified the lubricant had sprayed on his clothing to the extent that it had penetrated his clothing and was on his body and that he had a dermatology problem, and that his employer was aware of the problem.

Important in this ease is the fact that every reasonable inference leads to the conclusion that the employer knew [828]*828of the prior inconsistent statement of Minor to the department deputy and it was not introduced into evidence.

Sec. Ind-UC 140.05(6) of the Wisconsin Administrative Code permits signed statements from the investigation to be used in evidence at a hearing: “signed statements of parties can be used if received in evidence at a hearing.”

At the hearing the personnel officer of the employer testified. She testified that the company knew Minor had a dermatology problem although there was nothing in the record to indicate that contact with the die lubricant would aggravate it. Also in an attempt to bring the discharge within the rule of Checker Cab Co. v. Industrial Comm., 242 Wis. 429, 8 N.W.2d 286 (1943), she testified as to prior employment problems with Minor, thereby asserting that his disobedience of the order of his supervisor on his last day of employment was not the sole cause of his discharge.

The appeal tribunal reversed the initial determination and allowed benefits. After making its findings of fact the tribunal concluded the conduct of Minor did not evince such willful, intentional or substantial disregard for the employer’s interests as would constitute misconduct connected with his employment. Boynton Cab Co. v. Neubeck, 237 Wis. 249, 296 N.W. 636 (1941).

The appellant then petitioned the commission for review of the appeal tribunal decision. In doing so the appellant transmitted a letter to the department stating that the employee had contradicted his own statement regarding the circumstances of his discharge. This apparently refers to the statement Minor gave to the department deputy which had not been offered in evidence. No request was made to reopen the case.

The commission reviewed the evidence, modified the findings of the appeal tribunal and affirmed the decision as so modified, and in doing so found that the findings of the tribunal were supported by the evidence.

[829]*829The employer then brought an action to review the decision of the department in the circuit court. The circuit court affirmed the decision of the department, and this appeal follows.

On appeal the appellant raises issues as to whether there was credible evidence to support the finding that the employee was discharged solely because of his conduct on February 25, 1976, his last day of employment; whether there was credible evidence to support the commission’s finding that the employee reasonably believed the die lubricant would irritate his skin, thus justifying his misconduct; and that the commission acted in excess of its powers in choosing not to exercise its discretionary power to order further proceedings.

As to the first issue, appellant contends that the commission erred in considering only the last incident for which respondent was fired. The question before this court is not whether there is credible evidence in the record to support a finding the commission did not make, but whether there is any credible evidence to support the finding the commission did make. R. T. Madden, Inc v. ILHR Dept., 43 Wis.2d 528, 537, 169 N.W.2d 73 (1969); Vasquez v. ILHR Department, 39 Wis.2d 10, 18, 158 N.W.2d 331 (1968); Unruh v. Industrial Comm., 8 Wis.2d 394, 398, 99 N.W.2d 182 (1959). It is not the function of this court to determine whether the findings that were not made should have been made or could have been sustained by the evidence. Eastex Packaging Co. v. DILHR, 89 Wis.2d 739, 745, 279 N.W.2d 248 (1979).

As for the second issue, findings of fact made by the department are conclusive if supported by any credible evidence in the record. R. T. Madden, Inc. v. ILHR Dept., supra, at 547; Sears, Roebuck & Co. v. ILHR Department, 90 Wis.2d 736, 744, 280 N.W.2d 240 (1979). It is our [830]*830conclusion there is credible evidence in the record to support the findings of the department.

The final contention of the appellant is that the commission exceeded its power and denied appellant due process of law by failing to consider respondent’s statement dated March 31, 1976, in which he stated, among other things, that he had sprayed die lubricant on his face.

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Bluebook (online)
284 N.W.2d 99, 91 Wis. 2d 825, 1979 Wisc. LEXIS 2146, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/appleton-electric-co-v-minor-wis-1979.