Case: Labor Arbitration/Progressive Discipline (Arb.)

Arbitrator William C. Heekin held that Corning Incorporated had just cause to discharge the grievant, an experienced glass machinist opt tech lead who had been involved in a workplace altercation and given a three-day unpaid suspension/final warning, when 16 months later he was involved in a second altercation with a supervisor, and then a few days later was seen violating a critical company “Foreign Object Debris” safety policy by not using PPE and wearing a baseball cap while working around high value glass. Arbitrator Heekin denied the grievance, ruling that at the time in question the grievant was in the ...