Buck v. CF & I Steel, L.P.

913 F. Supp. 2d 1045, 2012 WL 6634796, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 180103
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedDecember 20, 2012
DocketCivil Action No. 11-cv-02801-WYD-CBS
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 913 F. Supp. 2d 1045 (Buck v. CF & I Steel, L.P.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Buck v. CF & I Steel, L.P., 913 F. Supp. 2d 1045, 2012 WL 6634796, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 180103 (D. Colo. 2012).

Opinion

ORDER

WILEY Y. DANIEL, Chief Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

THIS MATTER is before the Court on Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 26), filed August 10, 2012. Defendant CF & I Steel, L.P., d/b/a Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel (“Evraz”) seeks summary judgment on Plaintiffs hybrid claim brought under Section 301 of the [1048]*1048Labor Management Relations Act (“LMRA”) alleging that Evraz improperly-discharged Plaintiff in violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (“CBA”) and that Plaintiffs Union (“the Union”) failed to fairly represent Plaintiff during the grievance process related to his discharge. For the reasons stated below, I find that Plaintiff has failed to raise a genuine issue of fact as to whether the Union breached its duty of fair representation, a necessary element of Plaintiffs claim. Accordingly, Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment is granted.

II. RELEVANT FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Plaintiff was employed at Evraz’s plant under a Union collective bargaining agreement. Evraz provisionally discharged Plaintiff for allegedly violating the CBA drug policy by submitting an adulterated urine sample during a random drug test on December 7, 2010. That test produced invalid results. Plaintiff later tested positive for methamphetamine as part of a follow-up test administered on December 10, 2010. Evraz maintains that it terminated Plaintiff based entirely on its belief that Plaintiff submitted an adulterated sample for the December 7, 2010 test, rather than on his subsequent positive test results. (ECF No. 27 at 5 ¶ 19.)

The parties do not appear to dispute that under the CBA, submitting an adulterated specimen constitutes grounds for immediate provisional discharge, whereas employees who test positive shall be given a last chance agreement. Plaintiff denies submitting an adulterated sample and alleges that Evraz misconstrued his invalid drug test results as conclusive proof of adulteration and failed to properly investigate the results before taking disciplinary action. In turn, Plaintiff claims that he should have received a last chance agreement based on his December 10, 2010 drug test, the results of which he does not dispute.

A. Plaintiffs Drug Tests and Provisional Discharge

On December 7, 2010, Plaintiff and several other employees were directed to proceed to Evraz’s “guard headquarters” where they were to provide urine samples for random drug tests. (ECF No. 27 at 2-3 ¶ ¶ 8.) Plaintiff attests that he was not wearing a coat and that he turned out his pockets prior to giving his sample to show an on-looking guard that they were empty. (ECF No. 35 at 4 ¶44.) Plaintiff also attests that the sample he submitted was the proper temperature according to a temperature strip on the outside of the sample jar. (ECF No. 35 at 4 ¶ 45.)

An outside agency analyzed Plaintiffs specimen and deemed his test results invalid. (ECF No. 27 at 3 ¶ 11.) The comments on the test results stated, “Abnormal Physical & Chemical Characteristics which may include one or more of the following: no uric acid, no urine odor, abnormal appearance, or no foaming.” (ECF No. 32, Exhibit 7.)

Plaintiff was subjected to a second drug test on December 10, 2010 that came back positive for methamphetamine. (ECF No. 27 at 4 ¶ 12, 5 ¶ 19.) Plaintiff admits to using methamphetamine and does not dispute the results from his second test. (ECF No. 1 at 2-3 ¶9; ECF No. 35, Exhibit 1 ¶¶ 7-9.) Immediately after Plaintiff submitted his specimen for the second test, he received written notice that he was being provisionally discharged for “[sjubmitting an adulterated sample. Refusal to cooperate regarding the collection of the sample.” (ECF No. 29, Exhibit 2.)

On December 23, 2010, the company notified Union President Mike Rodriguez via email that Plaintiff was being provisionally discharged. (ECF No. 27 at 5 ¶ 16.) Un[1049]*1049der the CBA, a provisionally discharged employee has five days to request a hearing after which time the discharge becomes final. (ECF No. 33 at 17.) On December 27, 2010, Mr. Rodriguez left Plaintiff a voicemail message advising Plaintiff of procedures for requesting a hearing. (ECF No. 27 at 5 ¶ 17.) Plaintiff did not request a hearing within the five day deadline, and on December 29, 2010, the company notified the Union that it was finalizing Plaintiffs discharge. (ECF No. 27 at 5 ¶ 17-18.)

The next day, Plaintiff contacted Mr. Rodriguez to request a hearing. (ECF No. 27 at 5-6 ¶ 20.) Mr. Rodriguez prepared a grievance and was able to schedule a Step 3 grievance hearing despite Plaintiffs untimeliness. (ECF No. 27 at 6 ¶ 22.)

B. The Step 3 Hearing and Follow-Up

Three Union representatives appeared on Plaintiffs behalf at the Step 3 hearing, which took place on January 11, 2011. (ECF No. 27 at 6 ¶ 23.) During the hearing, Evraz’s Human Resources Director, Bob Schwetje, asked Plaintiff if he had adulterated his sample for the December 7, 2010 drug test. (ECF No. 27 at 6 1123.) According to Plaintiff, Mr. Schwetje became hostile during his examination of Plaintiff. (ECF No. 35 at 2 ¶ 26.) Plaintiff claims that he initially denied adulterating the sample but eventually said “sure whatever” in an effort to appease Mr. Schwetje who, at that point, was pointing and yelling at him from across a table. (ECF No. 35 at 2 ¶ 26.)

Plaintiffs positive drug test was also discussed at the Step 3 hearing. (ECF No. 27 at 7 ¶ 25.) Plaintiff testified that he did not know traces of his drug use were still in his system at the time of the December 7, 2010 test and that he had not used drugs since the December 10, 2010 test was administered. (ECF No. 27 at 7 ¶ 25.) In addition, a Union representative argued that addictions were a sickness and, accordingly, that Plaintiff should be given a second chance. (ECF No. 27 at 7 ¶ 25.)

Despite the Union’s efforts, the grievance committee denied Plaintiffs grievance following the Step 3 hearing. (ECF No. 27 at 7 1127.) The Union appealed, and a Step 4 hearing ultimately took place in late May 2011. (ECF. No. 27 at 7 ¶ 27.)

Plaintiff alleges that in the interim Union representatives would not correspond with him regarding his grievance. (ECF No. 35 at 2 ¶'55.) Plaintiff sent repeated emails in March 2011 to Mr. Rodriguez and Doug Fennel, a Union representative assigned to Plaintiffs case, in which he requested status updates on his grievance and argued the merits of his case. (ECF No. 30, Exhibit 4, 5.) Plaintiff alleged that he had been treated differently than another Union employee who had also received invalid results from a random drug test, but who allegedly had gone unpunished after passing a follow-up test. (ECF No. 30, Exhibit 4, 5.) Plaintiff alleged that had he received the same treatment, his invalid results would have not been counted against him and that, instead, he would have received a last chance agreement based on his positive results from the December 10, 2010 test. (ECF No. 30, Exhibit 4, 5.) Plaintiff now alleges that the other employee’s name is Ryan Ehrlich but has not produced evidence supporting his allegations about Mr. Ehrlich. (ECF No. 35 at 7-8 ¶¶ 59, 60.)

Mr. Fennell responded to Plaintiffs emails on March 29, 2011 instructing Plaintiff to “quite [sic] calling everyone[;] as I told you[,] I’m working on your case.” (ECF No.

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913 F. Supp. 2d 1045, 2012 WL 6634796, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 180103, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/buck-v-cf-i-steel-lp-cod-2012.