[ v34 p331 ]
34:0331(63)AR
The decision of the Authority follows:
34 FLRA NO. 63
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
AIR FORCE LOGISTICS COMMAND
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, UTAH
and
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES
LOCAL 1592
0-AR-1717
DECISION
January 18, 1990
Before Chairman McKee and Members Talkin and Armendariz.
I. Statement of the Case
This matter is before the Authority on exceptions to the award of
Arbitrator Albert Schneider filed by the American Federation of Government
Employees, Local 1592 (the Union) under section 7122(a) of the Federal
Service Labor - Management Relations Statute (the Statute) and part 2425 of
the Authority's Rules and Regulations. The U.S. Department of the Air
Force, Air Force Logistics Command, Hill Air Force Base, Utah (the Agency)
filed an opposition to the Union's exceptions.
The grievant was suspended for 5 days for "wanton disregard" of
the Agency's directives and instructions. Award at 12. The Arbitrator found
that the Agency's suspension of the grievant was reasonable and for just
cause and denied the grievance. The Union excepts to the Arbitrator's
award, contending that the Arbitrator did not understand the facts and
testimony, the parties' master labor agreement and the Agency's
regulations. The Union also contends that the discipline was not for just
cause.
For the reasons that follow, we deny the Union's exceptions.
II. Background and Arbitrator's Award
The grievant is a tool crib attendant at the Hill Air Force Base. He is
responsible for properly marking tools for identification and issuing tools
from the Agency's "tool room." Award at 5-6. On several
occasions, the grievant was "put on notice" and counseled
concerning his failure to properly mark tools before issuing them from the
tool room. Id. The grievant also was suspended for 1 day "for
disregarding directives (tool room)." Id. at 6.
About a month after the Agency suspended the grievant for 1 day, the
grievant's supervisor discovered that the grievant had issued 25
screwdrivers without the proper markings for identification. When
questioned about the screwdrivers, the grievant admitted that he had issued
them and that they were unmarked. Id. The supervisor issued a letter
informing the grievant that he had issued tools contrary to the Agency's
directives and proposed a 5-day suspension. The grievant filed a grievance
regarding the proposed suspension.
The matter was submitted to arbitration. The parties were unable to
stipulate the issue before the Arbitrator. Therefore, the parties were
permitted to submit their respective views of the issues. The Arbitrator
stated that in accordance with the parties' agreement, he would
"consider only the issues which were referred to and considered in the
formal grievance." Id. at 3.
The Union contended that the discipline of the grievant was not for just
cause. The Union argued that the Agency violated the parties' agreement and
the Agency's regulations by: (1) conducting an improper investigation of
the incident leading to the proposed 5-day suspension of the grievant; (2)
giving incorrect information about processing the grievance; (3) failing to
remove records concerning previous counseling from the grievant's personnel
file; (4) failing to give the rationale for its decision to suspend the
grievant; (5) disciplining the grievant twice for the same offense; and (6)
not exchanging a witness list within the time required under the agreement.
The Union also contended that the Agency violated 5 U.S.C. 4303 and Air
Force regulations by disciplining the grievant.
The Arbitrator found that the Agency committed "a technical violation
of the contract" by failing to remove the record of a previous
counseling from the grievant's personnel file. Id. at 8. The Arbitrator
concluded that no remedial order was necessary because the Union
"failed to demonstrate that the retention of one retained counseling
document in the file was prejudicial to grievant." Id. The Arbitrator
found that the Union's remaining contentions that the Agency violated the
parties' agreement and Agency regulations lacked merit. Id. at 6-11. The
Arbitrator also found that 5 U.S.C. 4303 does not apply to the disciplinary
suspension of the grievant because the grievant "was not given an
appraisal for overall performance, nor was he reduced in grade or removed
from his job." Id. at 10.
The Arbitrator concluded that the Agency had shown just cause under the
parties' agreement for "imposing a five day suspension on grievant for
failure to number twenty-five screw drivers." Id. at 14. The
Arbitrator relied on the following factors in making this determination:
Grievant's admission he failed to mark tools as required by instructions
and regulations; grievant's admission that he failed to ask for required
tool numbers from requestor supervisor; that grievant was instructed and
counseled a number of times by his immediate supervisor about the necessity
of numbering tools before issuance; that grievant was suspended for one day
. . . one month prior to the latest incident for not marking tools properly
before issuance; that Employer's suspension of grievant was reasonable
within the Douglas Factors developed by the Merit System(s) Protection
Board.
Id. at 14-15. The Arbitrator denied the grievance.
III. Positions of the Parties
A. The Union
The Union contends that "the Arbitrator missed most of the relevant
facts and testimony at the hearing and doesn't understand regulation's
(sic) or the written word of the contract." Exceptions at 16. The
Union maintains that the term "just cause" in the parties'
contract "is construed to require (the Agency) to prove the employee
guilty of the charged misconduct . . . and that the penalty is not
arbitrary, capricious, discriminatory or unreasonable." Id. The Union
argues that the Agency "failed to prove the offense of 'Wanton
disregard of directives (tool control)' and that the grievant 'failed to
properly mark identification numbers on them' (meaning tools) 'prior to
issuing' them by the preponderance of the evidence and the 'just cause'
requirement of the contract." Id. at 1. The Union states that it
"does not agree what was done by grievant was in error." Id. at
6. The Union contends that the "discipline (of the grievant) is not
for just cause and the grievant should be made whole, and all records of
this suspension expunged from his records(.)" Id. (emphasis in
original).
B. The Agency
The Agency contends that the Union's exceptions are without merit. The
Agency states that the exceptions are "inappropriate because they were
not part of the grievance" and "are not sufficient to change the
(A)rbitrator's decision." Opposition at 8.
IV. Discussion
The Statute sets forth the grounds on which an arbitration award will be
found deficient. Under section 7122(a), an award will be found deficient:
(1) because it is contrary to law, rule, or regulation; or (2) on other
grounds similar to those applied by the Federal courts in private sector
labor relations cases.
The Union does not contend that the award is contrary to any law, rule, or
regulation. The Union contends that the Arbitrator did not consider the
relevant facts and testimony at the hearing and did not understand the
Agency's regulations and the parties' agreement. The Union also contends
that evidence relied on by the Arbitrator does not establish that the
discipline of the grievant is consistent with the "'just cause'
requirement of the contract." Exceptions at 1. The Union's exceptions
constitute nothing more than disagreement with the Arbitrator's evaluation
of the evidence, his interpretation of the parties' agreement, and his
findings and conclusions. Consequently, the Union's exceptions provide no
basis for finding the award deficient.
V. Decision
The Union's exceptions are denied.
FOOTNOTES:
(If blank, the decision does not
have footnotes.)