Company v. Review Board of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development

58 N.E.3d 175, 2016 Ind. App. Unpub. LEXIS 756, 2016 WL 3552792
Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided June 30, 2016·No. No. 93A02-1511-EX-1941·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

BAKER, Judge.

[1] Company appeals the decision of the Review Board of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (the Review Board) affirming an administrative law judge’s determination that C.H., a former employee of Company, is entitled to unemployment compensation. Finding no error, we affirm.

Facts

[2] C.H. worked as a laborer for Company, which operates a coal mine, between February 2014 and May 2015. Company [177]*177has a written attendance policy stating, in relevant part, as follows:

Attendance is a key factor in your job performance.... Excessive absence, whether excused or unexcused, tardiness, leaving earlier is unacceptable. An employee who cannot work a scheduled shift for any reason must contact the ... office by 6:00 a.m. for the day shift employees and 3:00 p.m. for night shift employees.

Tr. p. 9-10. C.H. missed work on June 13, 2014, because of the birth of his son on June 11. He was late for work on March 21, May 7, and May 27, 2015, and stated that he had been late because his son was ill. Throughout this time, C.H. received verbal and written warnings regarding his attendance at work. On May 27, 2015, Company terminated C.H.’s employment because of his attendance issues.

[3] C.H. sought unemployment compensation following the termination of his employment. On July 23, 2015, a claims deputy for the Department of Workforce Development determined that C.H. was entitled to unemployment compensation because he had not been discharged for good cause. Company appealed that determination. Following a hearing, an administrative law judge (ALJ) affirmed the claims deputy’s determination. Company again appealed, this time to the Review Board, and on October 9, 2015, the Review Board affirmed the ALJ’s determination. The Review Board adopted the findings and conclusions of the ALJ, which read, in pertinent part, as follows:

... Here, the [ALJ] concludes that the employer’s attendance policy is not a rule but a guideline as it does not define excessive [absences] or provide any guidance to employees as to when termination may occur.
The [ALJ] concludes that the employer discharged the claimant for unsatisfactory attendance. The claimant received verbal warnings and two written warnings regarding his attendance, specifically late arrivals. The [ALJ] concludes that the employer informed the claimant during the second written warning that his job was in jeopardy due to attendance issues. The claimant was late on May 27, 2015 due to his son being ill. The evidence shows that the other attendance issues related to the claimant’s son’s birth or the claimant’s son’s illnesses. As such, the [ALJ] concludes that the evidence shows the claimant had good cause for the absences and late arrivals, including the final attendance issue.
Therefore, the [ALJ] concludes that the employer discharged the claimant but not for just cause....

[4] Appellant’s App. p. 6. Company now appeals.

Discussion and Decision

I. Standard of Review

[5] The decisions of the Review Board may be reviewed for legal error, but they are conclusive and binding as to all questions of fact. Ind.Code § 22-4-17-12(a); McClain v. Rev. Bd. of Ind. Dep’t of Workforce Dev., 693 N.E.2d 1314, 1316-17 (Ind.1998). Our review is limited to the sufficiency of the facts supporting the decision and the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the findings of fact. I.C. § 22-4-17-12(f); McClain, 693 N.E.2d at 1317. We will review the Review Board’s findings of basic fact for substantial evidence, findings of ultimate fact (mixed questions of law and fact) for reasonableness, and legal conclusions de novo. Chrysler Group, LLC v. Rev. Bd. of Ind. Dep’t of Workforce Dev., 960 N.E.2d 118, 122-23 (Ind.2012). In conducting our review, we will neither reweigh the evidence nor assess witness credibility. Id. at 122.

[178]*178II. Just Cause

[6] A claimant who has been discharged from his employment for just cause is ineligible for unemployment benefits. I.C. § 22-4-15-1(a). The fact that an- employer may havé had a legitimate reason to terminate the claimant’s employment is not sufficient to establish just cause. Conklin v. Rev, Bd. of Ind. Dep’t of Workforce Dev., 966 N.E.2d 761, 766 (Ind.Ct.App.2012). Instead, there are nine nonexclusive statutory grounds that may constitute discharge for just cause. I.C. § 22—4—15—1(d)(1)—(d)(9). In relevant part, the statute defines “discharge for just cause” as:

(2) knowing violation of a reasonable and uniformly enforced rule of an employer, including a rule regarding attendance;
(3) if an employer does not have a rule regarding attendance, an individual’s unsatisfactory attendance, if good cause for absences or tardiness is not established....

I.C. § 22-4-15-1(d). The Review Board found as follows: first, Company’s attendance policy is not a uniformly enforced rule such that subsection (d)(2) applies; and second, C.H. had good cause for his absences and tardiness such that subsection (d)(3) does not apply. Company contends that both of these conclusions were erroneous.

A. Uniformly Enforced Attendance Rule

[7] Subsection (d)(2) applies if substantial evidence establishes that (1) there was a rule; (2) the rule was reasonable; (3) the rule was uniformly enforced; (4)the claimant knew of the rule; and (5) the claimant knowingly violated the rule. S.S. LLC v. Rev. Bd. of Ind. Dep’t of Workforce Dev., 953 N.E.2d 597, 603 (Ind.Ct.App.2011), In this case, the Review Board affirmed the ALJ’s conclusion that Company’s attendance policy is a guideline, not a rule.

[8] This Court has held that “[violation of a vague work rule that fails to provide employees notice of precisely what conduct could lead to termination is not just cause for discharge in the context of unemployment compensation.” Coleman v. Rev. Bd. of Ind. Dep’t of Workforce Dev., 905 N.E.2d 1015, 1021 (Ind.Ct.App.2009). An “open-ended standard” that fails to give employees “notice of what precisely was prohibited and what was acceptable” under the policy does not constitute a rale for the purpose of subsection (d)(2). Id, To be considered a rale, the policy' must be uniformly enforced such that it “is carried out in such a way that all persons under the same conditions and in the same circumstances are treated alike.” Gen. Motors Corp. v. Rev. Bd. of Ind. Dep’t of Workforce Dev., 671 N.E.2d 493

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Company v. Review Board of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, 58 N.E.3d 175, 2016 Ind. App. Unpub. LEXIS 756, 2016 WL 3552792 (Ind. Ct. App. 2016).

58 N.E.3d 175 (Company v. Review Board of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related