Case: Labor Arbitration/Discharge (Arb.)

Arbitrator Perry A. Zirkel ruled that International Paper had just cause to terminate the grievant’s employment, and denied the grievance filed by the Teamsters local union. The union argued that the progressive discipline policy was flawed in how it was implemented, that there were procedural issues, and that it wasn’t negotiated in the contract. The union also argued that the incident leading to the discharge was due to a lack of training as opposed to negligence. However, Arbitrator Zirkel noted that the management rights clause allowed for the company to design the progressive discipline policy the way it was, and ...