Th sno book sapubl a onofm l l rnas hllp.i spr ov d df or nf or ma onalpur pos sonl yanddo sno ons u l galadv orl gal op n onabous p f s ua ons. R ad r sar ur g d o ons ul w hl gal ouns l on r n ng h rown s p f f a sand r ums an sandanys p f l galqu s ons.for f ur h r nf or ma onabou h on n sof h sno book,pl as on a M l l rnas hcl ns r v sby ma la l n s r v s @m l l r nas h. om or byphona877. 220. 5858. Copyr gh201 4.
CASE LAW COSMOS: A STATE AND FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT LAW UPDATE Tara O Hanlon and Jffry Chon I. OREGON. A. Cour opnons. 1. Unmploymn bnfs: Nlsn v. Employmn Dp., 263 Or. App. 274, 328 P.3d 707 (2014). Planff, Nlsn, workd for dfndan Wswnd Landsap Supply as an off managr for abou on yar. Durng ha m, Wswnd rpadly fald o pay hr (and ohr mploys) for hr ovrm work, and sh wnssd physal fghs bwn mploys and managmn whn mploys ompland abou unpad ovrm. Nlsn dd no wan o push h ssu of hr mssng ovrm pay wh Wswnd managmn baus sh was sard of a onfronaon, so sh qu hr job and fld for unmploymn bnfs. Bu h Employmn Dparmn dnd hr applaon on h grounds ha sh had volunarly lf work. Th Orgon Cour of Appals hld ha Nlsn was lgbl for unmploymn bnfs, sn sh had shown good aus for lavng hr poson a Wswnd. Th our nod ha h alrnavs o volunarly lavng Wswnd wr no rasonabl: f Nlsn had ompland o h Burau of Labor and Indusrs ( BOLI ), sh would hav subjd hrslf o ongong undrpaymn, and f sh had ompland o hr suprvsors, sh rskd a frghnng and possbly voln onfronaon. Sn hr was no rasonabl alrnav o lavng hr job, h our found ha Nlsn had good aus for qung, and h Employmn Dparmn should no hav dnd hr applaon for unmploymn ompnsaon. 2. Dfnon of mploy undr mnmum-wag laws: Cjas Commral Inrors, In. v. Torrs-Lzama, 260 Or. App. 87, 316 P.3d 389 (2013). A onsruon onraor brough a dlaraory judgmn aon agans drywall workrs, skng a dlaraon ha h workrs wr no mploys of h onraor undr Orgon s mnmum-wag law (ORS 653.025). Th our drmnd ha h onom-rals s and no h rgh-o-onrol s should apply. Undr ha s, h ours look a formal and funonal onrol faors. Th our hld ha h onraor dd no formally or funonally onrol h drywall workrs baus h workrs wr nvolvd wh a small poron of h proj, had no assoaon ousd h on proj, and wr suprvsd by hr mployr, a subonraor, who assumd h rsk for h profably of h work. -1-
3. Lably for wag volaons of prdssor: Blahana, LLC v. Burau of Labor and Indusrs, 354 Or. 676, 318 P.3d 735 (2014). Planff, an opraor of a bar and rsauran, sough Orgon Suprm Cour rvw of a BOLI ordr rqurng planff o rmburs BOLI for paymn of wag volaons of h opraor s prdssor. Th Orgon Suprm Cour hld ha h opraor was a sussor undr h wag-lam sau baus h nam and dny of h sablshmn was smlar undr h pror ownrs and urrn opraor, h loaon dd no hang, h ln bas was smlar, only 47 days had lapsd from h da h prdssor losd s doors unl h urrn opraor ropnd for busnss, and h urrn opraor usd muh of h sam qupmn, vn hough h lamans had nvr workd for h urrn opraor. 4. Consruv dsharg/publ mployr: Nkrumah v. Cy of Porland, 261 Or. App. 365, 323 P.3d 453 (2014). A ommunaons dror for a formr mayor brough wrongful-dsharg and wag lams agans h y, and h ral our grand summary judgmn for h y. Th our of appals hld ha h ommunaons dror had fald o sablsh onsruv dsharg. Th our nod ha h mploy mus show ha h qu baus of an objvly nolrabl ondon ha h mployr nnonally rad. Th our furhr rasond ha n a wrongful-dsharg as, h h nolrabl ondons mus b rad as h rsul of h mploy s fulfllmn of or amp o fulfll an mporan publ duy. Hr, h mploy objd o Mayor Adams s allgdly lyng abou a rlaonshp wh an undrag prson, bu hr was no vdn ha planff was vr rqurd o l o h publ. Thus, vn f bng ruhful o h publ was an mporan soal duy undr h wrongful-dsharg sandard, h vdn dd no suppor a onsruv-dsharg lam ha aon was akn agans planff for bng ruhful. 5. Class aon/jon mploymn: Dlgado v. Dl Mon Frsh Produ, N.A., In., 260 Or. App. 480, 317 P.3d 419, rv. dnd, 355 Or. 380. Dl Mon appald varous judgmns rlad o a lass-aon lam brough by mnmum-wag produon workrs rgardng h donnng and doffng of prov lohng off h lok bfor and afr work and bfor and afr h 30-mnu lunh brak. Planffs lamd ha Dl Mon was hr jon mployr n addon o h dr mployr, a saffng ompany. Th our of appals uphld h lass rfaon baus all lass mmbrs wr mnmum-wag workrs who workd a h sam faly durng a spfd prod, and h lams of all lass mmbrs wr basd on h hory ha Dl Mon had a usom or pra of rqurng or prmng h mploys o don and doff nssary work lohng off h lok and durng h mal brak, rsulng n unpad work m. 6. Publ mployr/unfar labor pra: Am. Fd n of Sa, Cny. & Mun. Emps. v. Cy of Lbanon, No. A152059, 265 Or. App., P.3d (Sp. 4, 2014). Th our of appals rvrsd an ordr of h Employmn Rlaons Board ha found ha h y had ommd an unfar labor pra agans a unon undr ORS 243.672-2-
baus a y ounlor wro a lr rzng unons and sn o a loal papr. Th our xpland ha h ounlor was no ang as h y s agn or apparn agn whn sh wro and sn hr lr and ha hr was nohng o nda ha hs lr-wrng was ordnarly nrusd o somon n ha poson, was no on y saonry, and was no wrn on y propry or durng busnss hours. 7. Employs vrsus ndpndn onraors: Broadway Cab LLC v. Emp Dp, 265 Or. App., P.3d (Sp. 4, 2014). Taxab drvrs wr hld o b mploys of a axab ompany, no ndpndn onraors, and h mployr was hld labl for unmploymn nsuran ax. Th our rasond ha h drvrs lasd hr vhls from h ompany and dd no own hm, and ha h ompany onrolld ass o h vhls durng off hours, provdd mannan, and onrolld parkng, among ohr faors. Th our hld ha h ab drvrs provdd srvs for rmunraon undr ORS 657.030 and ha hy dd no fall whn h sauory xmpon for ndpndn onraors undr ORS 670.600(2). 8. Employs vrsus ndpndn onraors: Pondrosa Proprs, LLC v. Employmn Dp., 262 Or. App. 419, 325 P.3d 762 (2014). Pondrosa onrad wh a rsor ommuny o provd mannan and lanng srvs o h ommuny s houss. Pondrosa ngagd 21 mploys o do hs work. Blvng h mploys wr ndpndn onraors, Pondrosa dd no pay unmploymn axs on hr wags, and h Employmn Dparmn nsud hs aon. Th vdn showd ha Pondrosa nsrud s workrs rgardng whh houss o lan and h dadln by whh h work ndd o b don. Ohrws, workrs s hr own shdul, usd hr own qupmn, and dd no hav a parular s of produrs o follow o g h work don. Pondrosa dd hk h jobs afr hy wr ompld, and oasonally rqurd h workrs o rdo a job f was no up o Pondrosa s sandards. Th our hld ha was mpossbl for vn h mos ndpndn of onraors o b omplly fr of a ln s onrol, so was no dsposv ha Pondrosa gav h workrs dadlns and was abl o hk hr fnal work. Alhough Pondrosa s pay ras and dadlns, dd no onrol h mans and mannr n whh h work was o b prformd. Morovr, h dadlns wr drmnd no by Pondrosa bu by h oupany shduls of h ommuny s houss. Thrfor, h workrs wr ndpndn onraors, no mploys of Pondrosa. 9. Boyl v. Cy of Porland, No. 1305-07824 (2014). A jury awardd planff Mhal Boyl $226,000 baus found ha h Cy of Porland had fald o gv Mr. Boyl prfrnal ramn basd on hs saus as a dsabld vran afr hs job was lmnad and rurnd o work for h y as a par-m mploy. Planff had also sud h Cy of Porland for ag dsrmnaon, a lam ha h jury rjd. Th jury awardd damags basd on planff s dsabld vran saus baus found ha undr h rvsd sa law on prfrnal ramn affordd o vrans and dsabld vrans, h y had no gvn planff h propr rd for hs saus. -3-
B. Lgslaon: Orgon 2014 ssson/porland ordnans. 1. Porland sk-lav ordnan. Porland s sk-lav ordnan has bn n ff sn January 1, 2014. Ky pons o rmmbr: Pad sk m mus b provdd by mployrs of sx or mor mploys. Unpad sk m mus b provdd by smallr mployrs. Th ordnan appls only o prva mployrs. All mployrs mus provd on hour of sk m for vry 30 hours of work prformd by any mploy (nludng ovrm work). Salard ovrm-xmp mploys arn sk m a a prsumd 40 hours pr wk or hr rgular workwk f lss han 40 hours pr wk. Employrs an ap arud sk m a 40 hours, bu ar prmd o allow for mor arual. An mploy may roll ovr up o 40 hours of unusd sk m from yar o yar. Th fnal ruls rqur ha an mployr gv ah mploy no on a quarrly bass of h amoun of arud and unusd sk m avalabl for us by ha mploy. Employs ovrd: All mploys workng n Porland aru sk m for m spn workng n Porland; any mploy who works from hom n h y s ovrd vn f h mployr s ousd h y; mploys ravlng o or ondung busnss n h y arn h bnf for h m spn n h y; mporary workrs ar ovrd (for h purposs of h ordnan, howvr, mps provdd by a saffng agny ar onsdrd mploys of h saffng agny). Employs no ovrd: Employs workng ousd h y vn f h mployr s load n h y (nluds lommurs workng from homs ousd h y vn f h mployr s load n h y); mploys basd ousd h y (a) who ar smply passng hrough h y and do no sop n h y as a purpos of hr work, and (b) who mak only ndnal sops (ang a mal, purhasng gas, hangng a fla); ndpndn onraors. Employrs mus kp rords on sk-m arual and hours workd for wo yars. -4-
Sk m s arud from h da of hr or January 1, 2014. Employs mus b lgbl for sk m ha hy hav arud by workng a las 240 hours n a alndar yar. Posng rqurd: Employrs ar rqurd o nform mploys of hr nlmn o Sk Tm; h amoun of Sk Tm and h rms of s us guarand undr h Ordnan; h prohbon of ralaon agans Employs who rqus or us Sk Tm; and an Employ s rgh o fl a omplan f Sk Tm as rqurd by h Ordnan s dnd by h Employr, or f an Employ s ralad agans for rqusng or akng Sk Tm. Th y has publshd sampl posrs n Englsh, Spansh, Vnams, Chns, and Russan (hps://www.porlandorgon.gov/skm/63899). 2. Eugn sk-lav ordnan. Effv July 1, 2015, lgbl workrs wll bgn arung sk m. Fnal ruls ar shduld o b ssud by January 31, 2015. Th ordnan rqurs ha mploys arn a mnmum of on hour of sk lav for vry 30 hours of work prformd n h Eugn y lms, up o a maxmum of 40 hours of lav pr yar. Employs mus b mployd for 90 days o bom lgbl o bgn usng arud sk m. Th law appls o mploys who work 240 hours or mor a yar n Eugn, rgardlss of whhr h work s mporary or prmann. 3. Publaon of Employmn Appals Board dsons. Effv Marh 6, 2014, h Employmn Dparmn s auhorzd o publsh Employmn Appals Board ( EAB ) dsons on onsd unmploymn nsuran lams. Th EAB dsons wr prvously publshd on s wbs unl 2013. ORS 657.665; HB 4010. 4. Employrs wh slf-nsurd halh bnf plans. Ths bll, ffv Marh 13, 2014, dls h prvous prohbon ha an nsurr ould no ssu a sop-loss nsuran poly agans h rsk of aasroph loss assumd undr a lss han fully nsurd mploy halh bnf plan o a small mployr. Small mployrs wr prvously xludd from purhasng hs pols. Undr Hous Bll 2240, passd n 2013, small group wll b rdfnd, ffv 2016, o nlud groups wh 1-100 mploys nsad of 1-50. Ths would hav lf a larg numbr of slf-nsurd mployrs wh 51-100 mploys ha would hav bn xludd from purhasng aasroph ovrag. ORS 742.065; HB 4050. 5. Workrs ompnsaon: nrm mdal bnfs for pndng lams. A workr s nld o nrm mdal bnfs durng h m afr an mployr has bn gvn no of a lam bu bfor a lam s apd or dnd (whn 60 days of no of lam). Ths bll, ffv January 1, 2015, dls lmaons on h yps of srvs ha ar ovrd durng h nrm prod. Halh bnf plans ar rqurd o xpd -5-
prauhorzaons and guaran paymn of xpnss for mdal srvs provdd bfor h lam s apd or dnd. If h lam s apd, a workrs ompnsaon nsurr or slfnsurd mployr mus pay for srvs provdd. ORS 656.247; HB 414. 6. Slf-nsurd mployr groups and workrs ompnsaon. Th Dror of h Dparmn of Consumr and Busnss Srvs s auhorzd o s ruls o dmonsra fnanal vably o qualfy o slf-nsur. Th Dror s auhorzd o rvok rfaon of slf-nsurd mployrs n dfaul and for volaon of h ruls. ORS h. 656 sq.; SB 1558. 7. Mnmum wag gong up n 2015. Mnmum wag n Orgon wll nras from $9.10 pr hour o $9.25 pr hour ffv January 1, 2015. II. WASHINGTON. A. Cour opnons. 1. Torous nrfrn wh a busnss rlaonshp: Tamosas v. Bhl Na l, In., No. 31451-1-III, Wn. App., P.3d (July 1, 2014). Th planff, a proj managr a a nular hnology ompany, was rassgnd o a dffrn poson followng nrprsonal dffuls wh ohr mmbrs of hs am. Th planff s mploymn was no rmnad as a rsul of h rassgnmn, nor was hs salary drasd. Hs lams wr only for moonal dsrss and spulav harm o hs rpuaon. Th Washngon Cour of Appals hld ha punary loss was a rqurd lmn of orous nrfrn, alhough on fnanal damags had bn sablshd, addonal damags ould b rovrd as wll. Th planff s as was dsmssd for falur o prov monary damags. 2. Wag-and-hour and salary lams. a. Rkhr v. Sa, Dp of So. & Halh Srvs., 180 Wn.2d 102, 323 P.3d 1036 (2014). DSHS onras wh ndvdual halhar provdrs o offr publly fundd hom ar for popl wh dsabls. In hr onras wh DSHS, h provdrs agr o asss wh asks n a gvn ln s srv plan and agr ha hy wll b pad only for hos asks. Bgnnng n 2003, DSHS nsud a poly provdng ha argvrs who lvd wh hr lns would hav hr srvs and pay u by 15 prn, undr h raonal ha h argvrs should no b ompnsang for suh hngs as grory shoppng and lanng ha hy would do n hr own homs for fr. Th 15 prn u appld o all provdrs, vn f a ln s srv plan spfd ha h or sh ndd hlp wh suh houshold asks. A group of provdrs brough a lass-aon lawsu agans DSHS for brahng s duy of good fah and far dalng n rlaon o hr onras. -6-
Th Washngon Suprm Cour hld ha DSHS dd no nd o brah an xprss onraual rm for h duy of good fah o b volad, parularly whn, as DSHS was, on pary was gvn unlaral dsron ovr fuur rms. Bu h our also uphld judgmn for DSHS on h argvrs lams for unpad wags, rulng ha DSHS s rol as a payor of Mdar funds dd no ra an agny or mploymn rlaonshp bwn h sa and h argvrs, so h sa Mnmum Wag A dd no apply. Fnally, h our grand DSHS s appal of prjudgmn nrs, holdng ha baus ah argvr s work m was no nrd or olld durng h ms a ssu, h argvrs damags ouldn b provd wh spfy. b. Sor v. Unv. of Wash., No. 88323-8, Wn.2d, P.3d (July 24, 2014). Ponrs, a lass of profssors, sud h unvrsy whr hy workd afr h unvrsy fald o provd a plannd annual ras. Th unvrsy argud ha had rsrvd h rgh n s onra o suspnd h rass f, as was h as, h sa lgslaur dd no provd suffn funds o allow h rass. Th profssors lamd ha by ahng wll and bng dmd mrorous n prforman, hy had alrady subsanally prformd undr h onra. Th our frs xamnd h profssors argumn ha h unvrsy had offrd a unlaral onra for h rass, and hy had apd; by workng mos of h 2008-2009 shool yar n rlan on h proms of a ras for h 2009-2010 shool yar, hy had subsanally prformd as rqurd by h onra. Th our agrd, and found ha h profssors had apd. Fnally, h our hld ha h profssors had sablshd onsdraon by workng a h unvrsy and rfranng from akng jobs lswhr, so a vald unlaral onra xsd. Th our dsagrd wh h profssors, howvr, rgardng whhr h onra had bn brahd. Th our hld ha h unvrsy had rsrvd h rgh o rvalua h ras poly, and had followd h orr produrs for dong so. Thr was no rqurmn ha hangs o h poly b dlayd unl h nx aadm yar, so h unvrsy dd no brah h onra.. Falla v. FxurOn Corp., No. 89671-2, Wn.2d, P.3d (O. 2, 2014). Th Washngon Sa Suprm Cour hld ha Washngon ours hav prsonal jursdon ovr a CEO who lvs and works n anohr sa and dd no prsonally s foo n h sa. Planff brough lams agans hr mployr and h CEO of hr mployr for whholdng ommssons undr Washngon's wag laws. Th CEO movd for summary judgmn, argung ha h our lakd prsonal jursdon baus h busnss dd no opra n Washngon, h CEO nrad wh planff only hrough -mal, and h CEO was nvr physally n Washngon. Th Washngon Suprm Cour dsagrd, affrmng h ral our, and holdng ha h CEO had suffn ona wh Washngon and ould b hld prsonally labl baus h CEO was h ndvdual who had nrvwd, hrd, and promod planff, s hr salary and ommsson ra, sgnd hr payhks, and had rgular and frqun -mal -7-
ommunaons wh hr ovr hr wo yars of mploymn, and was apparnly h only prson a h ompany wh whom planff had ona. Th our hld ha h CEO should hav rasonably anpad ha h would hav o dfnd hmslf n Washngon agans a lam whn h ddd o sop payng planff. d. Brra v. Expr Janoral, LLC, Wn.2d, 332 P.3d 415 (Aug. 7, 2014). Planffs, janors who prformd lanng asks a grory sors, brough lams agans h ownr of h sors and a onraor ha subonrad s lanng onras o h janors dr mployr undr h Washngon Mnmum Wag A, lamng ha h ownr and onraor wr h janors jon mployrs. Th ral our grand summary judgmn n favor of h ownr and onraor, and h our of appals rvrsd and rmandd. Th Washngon Suprm Cour adopd h Nnh Cru s for jon mploymn n Torrs-Lopz v. May, 111 F.3d 633 (9h Cr. 1997), and rmandd o h ral our o onsdr hs faors, holdng ha h ral our s fndng was nsuffn o suppor summary judgmn.. Jumaml v. Laksd Casno, LLC, 179 Wn. App. 665, 319 P.3d 868 (2014). Planff, a pokr dalr a a asno, sud hr mployr and managrs ovr a dalr suppor poly rqurng dalrs o gambl a h asno for a las sx hours a wk o ran hr snory, lamng ha h poly ulmaly ausd h asno o whhold hr wags. Th Washngon Cour of Appals hld ha h managr of h LLC was labl for falng o rurn h planff s wags afr larnng of h dalr suppor poly, nong ha laws agans wag rbas appld vn hough h managr was nhr awar of h poly nor rsponsbl for wags whl h planff was mployd. 3. An-SLAPP saus: Alaska Sruurs, In. v. Hdlund, 180 Wn. App. 591, 323 P.3d 1082 (2014). Hdlund was mployd by Alaska Sruurs, a onraor wh h U.S. mlary. As par of hs mploymn, Hdlund was rqurd o sgn a onfdnaly agrmn rgardng Alaska Sruurs busnss pras. Afr Hdlund qu, h was dsovrd o hav wrn poss omplanng abou h nsuffn sury a Alaska Sruurs on a mssag board usd by job-skrs. Alaska Sruurs sud hm for brah of h onfdnaly agrmn, and Hdlund movd o dsmss h lam undr Washngon s an-slapp sau. Th Washngon Cour of Appals hld ha h sau dd no pro agans sph ha was ohrws unlawful or unprod; alhough onsumr nformaon on publ wbss had bn prod n prvous an-slapp sus, Hdlund s ommns wr no broadly applabl o onsumrs ryng o mak an nformd ho, and hy brahd h onfdnaly agrmn as wll. -8-
4. Dsrmnaon/ralaon. a. Kumar v. Ga Gourm, In., 180 Wn.2d 481, 325 P.3d 193 (2014). Planffs wr mploys of Ga Gourm, a ompany ha prpars mals o b srvd on arplans and rans, and workd ou of SaTa Arpor. For sury rasons, hy wr no allowd o brng hr own food o work, so Ga Gourm provdd mals a h works, on vgaran and on wh ma. Th planffs sud, lamng ha h provdd mal opons wr nsuffn o m hr rlgous dary rsrons for nsan, h vgaran mal was mad wh anmal by-produs, and h ma-basd mal onand pork and so hy wr ford o go whou food durng hr shfs. Th Washngon Suprm Cour hld ha h Washngon Law Agans Dsrmnaon ( WLAD ) rad a aus of aon for an mployr s falur o aommoda mploys rlgous pras, and ha prma fa vdn of hs lam ould b shown by (1) dmonsrang a bona fd rlgous blf, (2) nformng h mployr of h blfs and h onfl, and (3) h mployr s rspondng wh hrand or aual dsrmnaory ramn. Employrs ould hn dfnd hmslvs by showng ha hy offrd a rasonabl aommodaon, or ha an aommodaon would b an undu hardshp. b. Currr v. Norhland Srvs., In., No. 70128-2-I, Wn. App., P.3d (Aug. 4, 2014). Planff, an ndpndn onraor ruk drvr, brough lams undr WLAD for ralaory dsharg afr hs onra was rmnad wo days afr h rpord raally dsrmnaory ommns mad by ohr ruk drvrs abou a Lano drvr. Th our of appals, affrmng h our s dson n a bnh ral, hld ha an ndpndn onraor was prmd o brng a ralaon lam undr WLAD, h onraor was ngagd n a sauorly prod avy, hr was a ausal lnk bwn h avy and hs rmnad onra, and h damags award was suppord by subsanal vdn.. Srvnr v. Clark Coll., No. 89377-2, 2014 WL 4648179, Wn.2d, P.3d (Sp. 18, 2014). Planff, a full-m, mporary mmbr of h fauly a Clark Collg, was passd ovr for wo nur-rak posons n hr dparmn and fld su, allgng ag dsrmnaon. Planff was 55 yars old whn sh appld for and was dnd h posons. Th wo applans who wr hrd wr undr h ag of 40. Th ral our grand summary judgmn for h ollg, and h our of appals affrmd. Th Washngon Suprm Cour rvrsd, holdng ha planff ould sablsh prx by showng ha ag dsrmnaon was a subsanal faor movang h mployr. Th our also hld ha summary judgmn should no hav bn grand baus h ollg arulad only ambguous rasons as o why planff was no hrd, sang ha h ohr anddas wr larly qualfd and wr h bs f, and baus of h prsdn s samns ha h ollg ndd youngr aln and ha 74 prn of h workfor was ovr 40. -9-
d. Oklr v. Fransan Halh Sys., 179 Wn.2d 769, 317 P.3d 1009 (2014). A formr mploy of a nonprof rlgous organzaon brough lams undr WLAD afr planff s mploymn was rmnad followng a srok. Planff, who s Afran-Amran, lamd ha hs mploymn had bn rmnad baus of hs dsably and baus of hs ra. Th mployr rmovd h as o fdral our and movd o dsmss, argung ha was xmp from WLAD as a nonprof rlgous organzaon. Th fdral dsr our rfd h quson whhr h rlgous-mployr xmpon n WLAD volas Washngon s onsuon (sablshmn laus or prvlgs and mmuns laus). Th Washngon Suprm Cour, n a 4-4-1 dson, hld ha WLAD s dfnon of mployr was no faally unonsuonal. A majory of h our, howvr, jond n a spara opnon holdng ha as appld o hs as wh a planff who workd as a hospal sury guard unrlad o any rlgous msson of h hospal, h prvlgs and mmuns laus was volad and h xmpon s unonsuonal. 5. Wrongful dsharg n volaon of publ poly: Ros v. Andrson Hay & Gran Co., No. 30545-7-III, Wn. App., P.3d (Sp. 25, 2014). Planff sud hs formr mployr, allgng wrongful dsharg n volaon of publ poly afr hs rlad su was dsmssd n fdral our baus planff fald o xhaus hs admnsrav rmds. Planff, a ommral ruk drvr, was rqurd o brng hs lam hrough h admnsrav pross undr h Commral Moor Vhl Safy A (h "CMVSA"), whh h fald o do. Th Washngon Cour of Appals affrmd h ral our's gran of summary judgmn dsmssng h lam for volaon of publ poly holdng ha planff's rmds undr h CMVSA mor han adqualy prod planff's and h publ's nrss. 6. Arbraon and ollv barganng. a. Spokan Sh. Ds. No. 81 v. Spokan Edu. Ass n, No. 31522-3-III, Wn. App., P.3d (May 22, 2014). Th Spokan Eduaon Assoaon, a ahrs unon, rprsnd provsonal gudan ounslor Nkk Easrlng. Easrlng was gvn a no of nonrnwal by h shool dsr, whh d andan ssus and nonomplan wh shool admnsraors as h rasons for h rmnaon of mploymn. Hr unon rprsnav hn fld a grvan agans h shool dsr on hr bhalf; h ollv barganng agrmn oulnd a dspursoluon poly onssng of on nformal sp and four formal sps, on of whh was arbraon. Th unon rqusd arbraon on Easrlng s bhalf, bu h shool dsr rfusd, allgng ha h lam was no arbrabl. Th our hld ha sn nonrnwal of provsonal mploys was xprssly xludd from arbraon n h ollv barganng agrmn, h unon was barrd from brngng a grvan rlad o hos ssus. Th unon s amp o brng grvans for ohr -10-
ssus (.g., Easrlng s rgh o progrssv dspln bfor nonrnwal) also ould no b brough o arbraon, sn h nonrnwal was nssarly mplad n hos lams. b. Ksap Cny. v. Ksap Cny. Corr. Offrs Guld, In., 179 Wn. App. 987, 320 P.3d 70 (2014). Corronal offrs and hr unon sough a dlaraory judgmn sang ha layoffs wr a mandaory subj for hr ollv barganng agrmn wh h ouny. Th ouny argud ha h unon had wavd s rgh o bargan n a prvous agrmn, bu h our found ha ha agrmn had xprd wo yars arlr and no longr onrolld h rlaonshp bwn h pars. Th ouny nx lamd ha h unon had wavd s barganng rghs baus had prvously allowd layoffs whou ampng o bargan, bu fald o arry s burdn of proof ha h unon had unmsakably wavd s barganng rghs. Th as was rmandd so ha h ral our ould apply h balanng s o drmn whhr layoffs wr a mandaory or prmssv barganng subj. 7. Unmploymn ompnsaon: Krby v. Sa Dp of Emp S., 179 Wn. App. 834, 320 P.3d 123 (2014). Dorohy Thomas workd for a prva sury ompany n a nonunon poson. Sh was assgnd o a poson a a UPS warhous, whr hr job dus nludd kpng daly logs of any dangrous or suspous bhavor a h faly. Th logs wr hn urnd n o hr suprvsor s off a h works. Whl a work, Thomas hard som UPS workrs braggng abou rmnal avy and salng hadphons from h warhous. Sh rpord h mar o hr suprvsor, who old hr no o wr anyhng up unlss sh obsrvd a hf n prson. Thomas hn alld UPS s 800 phon numbr o rpor h hfs; shorly afr, sh was alld no a prva mng and nsrud o wr anohr ndn rpor. Thomas rfusd, sayng ha sh was onrnd sh would b frd and wand an aorny prsn. Sh was hn frd for nsubordnaon. Hr unmploymn ompnsaon was dnd baus h Dparmn of Employmn Sury drmnd ha sh had bn frd for work msondu. Th our drmnd ha whn sh rfusd o prpar h rpor, Thomas had bn ang ou of far and onfuson, no a dsr o wllfully dsrgard hr mployr s wshs. Vwd n onx, h rqus for Thomas o wr a rpor on h spo was no rasonabl, and h our affrmd h ALJ s dson ha Thomas was lgbl for unmploymn ompnsaon. 8. Frank Coluo Consr. Co. v. Wash. Sa Dp of Labor and Indusrs, 181 Wn. App. 25, 329 P.3d 91 (2014). Th Dparmn of Labor and Indusrs (h Dparmn ) d h mployr, a onsruon ompany, for oprang an xavaor undr rolly lns ha wr hgh volag. A Dparmn safy offr obsrvd h s and nod ha h work was no bng prformd whn h rqurmn n h rgulaon. Th ompany soppd xavang o apply for a varan o h ruls, whh was grand. Th Dparmn, howvr, sll ssud a aon o h ompany for nally volang h rgulaon. Th aon was affrmd by an ndusral appals judg dsp h ompany s appal and argumn ha was no fasbl o omply wh h rul a ha proj. Th Board of Indusral Insuran Appals adopd h dson of h ndusral -11-
appals judg, whh was affrmd by and ssnally adopd by h supror our judg and h our of appals. B. Lgslaon: Washngon 2014 ssson/sal ordnans. 1. Sal mnmum-wag law. On Jun 3, 2014, h Sal Cy Counl passd Ordnan 124490, whh ams o ras Sal s mnmum wag o $15 pr hour. Th phas-n prod for h hghr mnmum wag vars by h sz of h busnss. Busnsss wh 500 or mor mploys naonwd (nludng franhss) ha do no provd halh bnfs wll pay hr mploys $11 pr hour sarng n Aprl 2015, $13 pr hour sarng n January 2016, and h full $15 pr hour sarng n January 2017; f hs larg busnsss do offr halh bnfs, hr mnmum-wag nrass wll b saggrd ovr an xra yar. Busnsss wh fwr han 500 mploys hav hrough 2021 o ras hr mnmum wag o $15, bu hr hourly mnmum ompnsaon (wags pad o mploys, plus h valu of mploys ps and mdal bnfs) mus rah $15 pr hour by 2019. 2. Sal s ban-h-box ordnan. Ths ordnan was passd n 2013 and was ovrd n las yar s marals. Employs and job applans who work 50 prn or mor of hr hours whn h Sal y lms ar prod by h ordnan, whh prohbs mployrs from agorally rjng job applans wh arrs or onvon rords. Employrs whos job dus nlud unsuprvsd ass o hldrn or sury srvs ar xludd. Employrs may sll rqus rmnalhsory nformaon, bu wh h followng rsrons: Employrs ar rqurd o frs lmna all ohrws unqualfd anddas bfor onsdrng rmnal-hsory nformaon. Whn h mployr dos onsdr rmnal-hsory nformaon and s h sol rason for an advrs mploymn aon, hn h mployr mus provd a lgma busnss rason for s dson. If h mployr nnds o bas a dson solly on h rmnal-hsory nformaon, hn mus gv h mploy or applan no, dnfy h rords on whh s rlyng, gv ha prson a rasonabl opporuny o orr or xplan h nformaon, and hold h poson opn for a las wo busnss days afr gvng no. 3. Amndmns o whslblowr ruls. Th Human Rghs Commsson (h HRC ) rvws and nvsgas whslblowr lams. Undr h nw rgulaons, h HRC mus nofy h prson who brough h omplan ha an nvsgaon has bn ompld. Th HRC mus, whn 90 days of nofaon ha h nvsgaon has bn ompld, ssu wrn fndngs of fa and a fndng ha hr s or s no rasonabl aus for blvng ha an unfar pra has bn or s bng ommd. Th HRC mus also nofy h omplanan s unon, f applabl. If h HRC fnds -12-
rasonabl aus o blv an unfar pra has bn or s bng ommd, h HRC has sx monhs o rah an agrmn for h lmnaon of h unfar pra. If no agrmn s rahd, h HRC mus mak a wrn fndng o ha ff and provd o h omplanan, h omplanan s labor unon, and h mployr. Th HRC has dsron o gran addonal m o sk agrmn. RCW 49.60; SSB 6046. 4. Involunary srvud. A prson omms nvolunary srvud, a lass C flony, by whholdng or hranng o whhold or dsroy doumns rlang o a prson s mmgraon saus or hranng o nofy law nformn offals ha a prson s prsn n h Und Sas n volaon of fdral mmgraon laws, rgardlss of whhr h prson provds any sor of ompnsaon or bnfs o h prson who s ord. Coron dos no nlud rpors o law nformn ha a prson s prsn n h Und Sas n volaon of fdral mmgraon laws. RCW 9A.40; SSB 6339. 5. Mnmum wag gong up n 2015. 2015. III. Mnmum wag n Washngon wll nras from $9.32 o $9.47 on January 1, FEDERAL OPINIONS. A. Nnh Cru: mal and rs brak laws: Dls v. Pnsk Logss, LLC, No. 12-55705, F.3d (9h Cr. July 9, 2014). Th Nnh Cru hld ha fdral laws rgulang moor arrrs do no prmp Calforna law nlng workrs o mal and rs braks. Dls, rprsnng a lass of smlarly suad mploys, was a drvr for Pnsk Logss and allgd ha Pnsk fald o nsur ha mploys ook hr mandad braks and rad a managmn nvronmn whr mploys wr dsouragd from akng braks o a and rs. Pnsk argud ha h Calforna law rqurng mal and rs braks was prmpd by h Fdral Avaon Admnsraon Auhorzaon A (h FAAAA ), whh prmpd sa laws rlad o pr, rou, or srv of any moor arrr. Th Nnh Cru hld ha h sa law rqurng braks dd no apply spfally o moor arrrs bu nsad was nndd o pro all workrs, lknng o laws govrnng spd lms and wags ha moor arrrs sll had o follow. Sn h sa law was nndd o b gnrally applabl, and omplyng wh was unlkly o aff Pnsk s prs, rous, or srvs, h our found ha h Calforna law was no prmpd by h FAAAA. B. Nnh Cru: FMLA: Esrba v. Fosr Poulry Farms, In., 743 F.3d 1236 (9h Cr. 2014). Planff, Esrba, a prossor a on of dfndan Fosr s plans n Calforna, had hr mploymn rmnad whn sh fald o appar for work for hr days whou provdng no o Fosr. Esrba had akn m off o vs hr sk fahr n Euador, bu old mulpl suprvsors a Fosr ha sh was skng vaaon m, no lav undr h FMLA, -13-
bfor lavng work. Whn Esrba ovrsayd hr rqusd vaaon m, sh was frd. Esrba hn sud Fosr for nrfrn wh hr rghs undr h FMLA. Th Nnh Cru hld ha Fosr had no nrfrd wh Esrba s FMLA rghs. Th our found ha Esrba had bn fully nformd of h proons of h FMLA bu had hosn no o aval hrslf of h guarand lav. Employs ar no rqurd o mnon h FMLA o sud undr an FMLA nrfrn lam. Rahr, h onus s on mployrs o drmn whhr an mploy skng m off would lk o ak FMLA lav. In hs as, Fosr mploys rpadly askd Esrba whhr sh wand o us FMLA lav o ovr hr absn from work; n ah nsan, Esrba rpld ha sh wand o us vaaon lav only. Alhough hr absn would hav bn ovrd by FMLA had sh hosn o nvok, Esrba s onsous, rpad rfusal o us FMLA lav barrd hr from allgng FMLA nrfrn afr hr mploymn was rmnad. C. Nnh Cru: Tl VI: Rashdan v. Gssbrgr, No. 12-16305, F.3d (9h Cr. Aug. 26, 2014). Th Nnh Cru appld h MDonnll Douglas burdn-shfng framwork for Tl VII dspara-ramn lams o a Tl VI dspara-ramn lam. Planff, an Egypan dns nrolld n an Amran dnal rfaon program for nrnaonal sudns, allgd ha sh had bn dsrmnad agans baus of hr naonal orgn baus sh was no prmd o gradua afr falng o prform a rown produr and h had of h fauly alld h sudn s work Thrd World Dnsry. Th ral our grand h unvrsy and ndvdual dfndans moons for summary judgmn and h Nnh Cru affrmd, holdng ha h ommn had rfrrd o planff s work and no hr naonal orgn, ha no on afflad wh h unvrsy had mad any dsparagng ommn rlad o Egyp, and ha planff had fald o sablsh ha sh was rad dffrnly from smlarly suad sudns. D. Nnh Cru: ADA: Wavng v. Cy of Hllsboro, No. 12-35726, F.3d (9h Cr. Aug. 15, 2014). Planff pol offr brough lams undr h Amrans Wh Dsabls A (h ADA ), lamng ha h had bn dshargd baus of hs dsably rlad o hs anon df hypravy dsordr ( ADHD ). Th y, hs mployr, lamd ha hs mploymn had bn rmnad baus of hs rurrng nrprsonal problms. A jury rurnd a vrd for planff, fndng ha h was dsabld and ha dfndan had rmnad hs mploymn baus of hs dsably. Th our dnd h mployr s moon for judgmn as a mar of law and for a nw ral baus of mpropr jury nsruons; h y appald. Th Nnh Cru rvrsd, holdng ha h jury ould no hav found as a mar of law ha planff s ADHD subsanally lmd hs ably o work wh ohrs undr h ADA baus h had normal soal nraons and hr was srong vdn ha planff had hnal ompn as a pol offr. -14-
E. Nnh Cru: Indpndn onraors: Slayman v. FdEx Ground Pakag Sys., In., No. 12-35525, F.3d (9h Cr. Aug. 27, 2014); Alxandr v. FdEx Ground Pakag Sys., In., No. 12-17458, F.3d (9h Cr. Aug. 27, 2014). Smlar lass-aon ass wr fld n h majory of sas agans FdEx for allgdly llgal dduons for wags and unpad ovrm rsulng from lassfyng FdEx drvrs as ndpndn onraors. Ths ass wr onsoldad for muldsr lgaon ( MDL ) n whh lasss wr rfd undr varous sa laws. In Alxandr (rfd undr Calforna law), h Nnh Cru rvrsd h MDL our s summary judgmn rulng ha h drvrs wr ndpndn onraors and nsad grand summary judgmn n favor of planffs, rulng ha h drvrs had bn mproprly lassfd as ndpndn onraors baus FdEx had h rgh o onrol s drvrs n ha FdEx onrolld h apparan of s drvrs and hr vhls, h drvrs shduls, and how and whn drvrs dlvrd pakags, among ohr rasons. Smlarly, h Nnh Cru n Slayman (rfd undr Orgon law) rvrsd h MDL our s gran of summary judgmn o FdEx and dnal of planffs moon for paral summary judgmn, holdng ha h drvrs wr mploys undr Orgon s rgh-o-onrol s for llgal dduons and Orgon s onom-rals s for unpad ovrm. F. Nnh Cru: FLSA/ovrm: Haro v. Cy of Los Angls, 745 F.3d 1249 (9h Cr. 2014). Fr dparmn hnans and dspahrs fld FLSA lams for ovrm baus hy had bn lassfd as xmp for bng ngagd n fr proon. Th Nnh Cru affrmd h ral our s rulngs ha h mploys wr no xmp and ha h mployr had ad wllfully n rronously lassfyng planffs, and hrfor h sau of lmaons was xndd, and h our awardd lqudad damags. Th Nnh Cru, jonng h Sxh and Svnh Crus, affrmd ha offss for prvously pad ovrm ar appld on a wk-by-wk bass. G. Nnh Cru: Ralaon/FLSA: Avla v. Los Angls Pol Dp, No. 12-55931, F.3d (9h Cr. July 10, 2014). Th Nnh Cru uphld a rulng n favor of a pol offr who allgd ha hs mploymn had bn rmnad n rurn for sfyng n a FLSA lawsu brough by a fllow offr. Th pol dparmn argud ha planff had bn frd for rfusng o aoun for hs ovrm work, and ha a Board of Rvw dson upholdng h rmnaon of hs mploymn, whh h planff dd no hallng, prludd h su a hand. Th our found ha h BOR dson lakd prlusv powr baus addrssd only planff s allgd nsubordnaon, no h rason for hs frng or hs allgaons of ralaon. Thrfor, hr was no ssu prluson baus h BOR dson had fald o adqualy xplan h mov for h rmnaon of planff s mploymn. -15-
H. Suprm Cour: FLSA: Sandfr v. U.S. Sl Corp., U.S., 134 S. C. 870 (2014). Slworkrs brough FLSA lams agans hr mployr allgng ha hy had no bn ompnsad for h m spn pung on and akng off ( donnng and doffng ) prov gar. Th Suprm Cour hld ha m spn donnng and doffng h majory of hr prov gar was m spn hangng lohs undr h FLSA and was hrfor a prmd subj of any ollv barganng agrmn. I. Suprm Cour: Affordabl Car A: Burwll v. Hobby Lobby Sors, In., U.S., 134 S. C. 2751 (2014). For-prof losly hld orporaons brough lams agans h Srary of Halh and Human Srvs and ohr govrnmn agns, skng dlaraory and njunv rlf undr h Affordabl Car A (h ACA ), lamng ha h ACA s manda for prvnv srvs (nludng onrapvs and rlad ounslng) volad rlgous frdom. Th Suprm Cour, n a 5-4 dson, hld ha h ACA onrapvs manda as appld o for-prof losly hld orporaons subsanally burdnd h xrs of rlgon undr h Rlgous Frdom Rsoraon A baus dd no sasfy h las-rsrv-mans s undr h a. J. Suprm Cour: Sarbans-Oxly whslblowr: Lawson v. FMR LLC, U.S., 134 S. C. 1158 (2014). Th Suprm Cour hld ha whslblowr proons undr h Sarbans-Oxly A xndd o mploys of prva onraors and subonraors srvng publ ompans. Planffs, mploys of prva ompans ha onra o advs or manag muual funds, brough lams agans hr mployrs. SEADOCS:468497.5-16-