Case: Labor Arbitration/Discharge (Arb.)

Arbitrator Shianne Scott ruled that Kaiser Permanente Northwest didn’t have just cause to terminate the grievant, an oncology/pharmacy technician with over nine years of service, for allegedly violating a last chance agreement related to workflow protocols and interpersonal conduct. The union successfully argued that the employer’s investigation was inadequate, relied primarily on hearsay from unidentified complainants, and that the grievant wasn’t afforded due process or given specific information about the alleged violations before termination. Arbitrator Scott found that while the grievant agreed to a last chance agreement following a previous incident where he photographed a coworker’s bandaged ankle without consent, ...