Pennsylvania Labor and Employment Blog : Pennsylvania Labor and Employment Lawyer & Attorney : McNees Wallace & Nurick Law Firm : Human Resources, Workplace and Business Law : Harrisburg, Lancaster, Allentown, Lehigh

This post was contributed by Eric N. Athey, Esq., a Member in McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC's Labor and Employment Law Practice Group.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act are widely known as the primary federal laws governing employment discrimination. Many employers are surprised to learn that the U.S. Bankruptcy Code also contains employment discrimination provisions. Section of 525 of the Code prohibits certain types of employment discrimination against individuals who have claimed bankruptcy. However, this obscure provision is rarely the subject of lawsuits and, consequently, there is little guidance from federal courts as to its meaning. In Rea v. Federated Investors, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit considered the fundamental question of whether Section 525 prohibits a private sector employer from discriminating against a job applicant in the hiring process on the basis of his prior bankruptcy.

Mr. Rea applied for employment with Federated Investors in 2009 through a placement firm and, after a successful interview, was informed that he would not be hired due to a 2002 bankruptcy. Rea filed suit in federal court claiming that Federated discriminated against him in violation of Section 525 of the Bankruptcy Code.

Section 525(a) of the Code states that it is unlawful for any "governmental unit…[to]…deny employment to, terminate the employment of, or discriminate with respect to employment against, a person that is or has been a debtor under [the Code]" solely because the individual has been a debtor under the Code, has been insolvent or has not paid a debt that is dischargeable under the Code. Clearly, a government employer could not have refused Mr. Rea employment solely on the basis of his prior bankruptcy without violating Section 525(a). However, as a private sector employer, Federated was governed by Section 525(b) of the Code.

Section 525(b) of the Code, unlike subsection (a), makes no mention of "denying employment to" an individual who has declared bankruptcy. Section 525(b) reads: "No private employer may terminate the employment of, or discriminate with respect to employment against, an individual who is or has been a debtor under [the Code]" solely because the individual has been a debtor under the Code, has been insolvent or has not paid a debt that is dischargeable under the Code. The issue presented in the Rea case was whether 525(b) could be interpreted to prohibit private employers from discriminating against job applicants on the basis of prior bankruptcies.

Mr. Rea argued that Section 525(b)'s prohibition against "discriminat[ion] with respect to employment against" individuals who have filed for bankruptcy should be interpreted to protect job applicants. However, the Third Circuit noted that "where Congress includes particular language in one section of a statute but omits it in another section of the same Act, it is generally presumed that Congress acts intentionally and purposely…" Since Section 525(a) specifically includes "denying employment to" individuals as unlawful discrimination – and 525(b) does not - the Court concluded that private sector employers are not prohibited from discriminating against applicants on the basis of prior bankruptcies.

This recent decision may come as particularly welcome news for employers in the financial services industries who may be reluctant to employ individuals with multiple prior bankruptcies. Although the Rea decision certainly gives private sector employers greater flexibility in the hiring process, it is important to remember that terminating or discriminating against a current employee solely on the basis of a prior bankruptcy remains unlawful.
 

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Lehman Brothers, a 158-year-old investment bank choked by the credit crisis and falling real estate values, filed for Chapter 11 protection in the biggest bankruptcy filing ever on Monday, putting its 25,000 employees worldwide on the unemployment lines or waiting for a selloff to another company. Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing allows a company to restructure its debt and contracts. The restructuring process has many impacts on employees including the following:

• All equity-based compensation may be worthless. Employee stock options, ESOP holdings, Stock Appreciation Rights and other compensation and incentives tied to the value of the company’s stock may have no value or minimal value once the company emerges from bankruptcy. Lehman Brothers employees owned a large share of the company through its ESOP.
• Company 401k matches made in company stock may also be worthless.  Employees can take a big hit to their retirement accounts when the company matches 401k contributions with its own stock.
• Employment and union contracts may be voidable.
• Employees may lose their jobs through downsizing and reorganization of the company.
• Remaining employees may be poached by competitors or leave because of the uncertainty created by the bankruptcy.

Given the uncertainty created by a bankruptcy filing, Human Resources must communicate with employees concerning their future with the company. Matthew Angello is Founder and Principal at Bright Tree Consulting Group (www.brighttreecg.com) a leadership coaching and consulting company located in Lancaster, PA.   Matt has a wealth of experience in the strategic importance of communication and his commentary is as follows:

Having experienced leading an organization through Chapter 11 when I was the head of HR for Armstrong World Industries, I can personally attest to the power of regular and strategic communication with employees. In my current practice, I coach CEOs and other senior executives of the importance of communication, even to the extent that I call them the CCO (Chief Communication Officer).

In bankruptcy, the communication “ante is upped” by an order of magnitude. Even in normal business conditions, an information vacuum leads employees to “fill in the blanks” regarding the direction and vitality of the business, leading to loss of focus and compromised results. In bankruptcy, because the stakes are so high, information voids take on a more insidious nature as the workforce becomes fixated on the “rumor du jour” as opposed to those activities that are necessary to drive results (and ultimately facilitate the best outcome for all stakeholders).

Like any other successful aspect of the business, communication (especially during bankruptcy) must be strategic, planned, targeted and implemented. Informal channels cannot be relied upon during bankruptcy because the specific and technical content of the communication is vitally important. Put a plan together that includes regular written updates to employees, postings on the company intra-net (if you have one), and most importantly, regular briefings from the CEO (face to face or video presentations). The strategic communication plan should govern the frequency of the various forms of communication. I strongly advise that no more than a one-month interval between formal written communication and three months between all employee meetings. Even if there is little “new news” to report, these tools will be highly effective at blunting the “mis-information superhighway” that is prone to develop in a company in financial distress.

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The specter of business failure and personal financial setbacks wreak havoc on employee morale challenging Human Resources with dual management problems. First, HR needs to formulate a communication strategy to address the concerns of employees surrounding job security and compensation. Employee jitters surround the viability of their employer and the security of their jobs. Retirement savings evaporate as the stock market plummets leading some to forego matching 401k contributions. Compensation packages and incentives tied to stock continue their downward spiral. Wordsmith the message that the CFO might send out: “They are lucky to have a job.”

Second, HR must manage the collateral effects of an employee’s personal financial problems, which can lead to bankruptcy, foreclosure and even divorce, any of which may influence his or her job and job performance. Businesses must be prepared to respond to employee performance issues created by financial problems. Employers should be aware of legal limitations placed on their actions with regard to an employee’s financial problems. In addition, human resource professionals should appreciate the relationship between their performance management program and other resources to address employee issues created by financial distress.

Pennsylvania and federal laws limit actions employers may take against employees that file for bankruptcy or are subject to wage attachments. Many employers, particularly those in the financial sector, face customer relation problems when one of their employees does not pay his or her bills or files for bankruptcy. Legal limitations on employer responses are as follows:

• Garnishment/Attachment of Wages. Pennsylvania prohibits garnishment/attachment of wages for the repayment of personal debts, except in limited circumstances for child support, alimony or student loans.   Employees may not be disciplined, discriminated against or discharged because of wage garnishments.
• Employee Bankruptcy. Section 575 of the Bankruptcy Act protects employees and applicants from discrimination if an individual:(1) is or has been a debtor under this title or a debtor or bankrupt under the Act; (2) has been insolvent before the commencement of a case under the Act or during the case but before the grant or denial of a discharge; or (3) has not paid a debt that is dischargeable in a case under this title or that was discharged under the Act. Courts have limited the reach of this provision by requiring that the discrimination be "solely because" of the individual's bankruptcy participation.
• Worries about Temptation for Theft. Businesses may become concerned that an employee in financial distress may be more likely to embezzle and react by trying to find out the scope of an employee’s credit problems. The Fair Credit Reporting Act limits an employer’s use of employee credit information. A business’ usual financial controls should be uniformly applied, but, if inadequate, should be revised for all employees.

Employees experience financial distress are subject to performance problems including declining productivity, absenteeism and depression.  The usual performance management tools can be used: however, special attention should be paid to other resources like the EAP and Debt/Credit counseling.

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Businesses face increasing uncertainty over the availability of financing because of the economic downturn and tightening of credit markets.   Financially troubled businesses may need to curtail operations through a plant closing or mass layoff if additional financing is not received. Employers need to manage compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) as their negotiations with financial markets unfold.

WARN provides for an exception to the sixty-day notice requirement when a “faltering company” is confronted with a possible plant closing; however, the exception is a narrow one that requires careful employer analysis. An employer claiming the exception must prove: (1) it is actively seeking capital at the time the 60-day notice would have been required; (2) it had a realistic opportunity to obtain the financing sought; (3) the financing would have been sufficient, if obtained, to enable the employer to avoid or postpone the shutdown; and (4) the employer reasonably and in food faith believed that sending the 60-day notice would have precluded it form obtaining the financing.

A recent court decision in In Re: APA Transport Corp. Consolidated Litigation discussed several critical elements of the faltering company exception including the following:

Consolidation of related companies into a “Single Employer”

Related companies may be treated as a “single employer” for determining whether the employer meets the 100-employee coverage threshold for WARN and to assess whether the company is faltering. The faltering company exception is not available if a related has adequate capital to continue operations and it is treated as a single employer. Five factors are used to determine if related companies are liable under WARN on “single employer” grounds:

• Common ownership
• Common directors and/or officers
• De facto exercise of control, i.e., one company was the decision maker for the employment practice that gave rise to the litigation
• Unity of personnel policies emanating from a single source
• Dependency of operations, i.e., interchange of employees or equipment or commingling of finances.

Timing and Proof of “Actively Seeking Additional Financing” 

According to the court, WARN requires that steps to “actively seek financing” be taken “at the time that the 60-day notice would have been required.” Therefore, the actions of the company occurring during the period of time, which is sixty days before the plant closing, must demonstrate active pursuit of financing. The court rejected APA’s argument that a company may qualify for the faltering company defense irrespective of whether it was actively seeking capital at the time the notice was required, so long as it did no foresee the shutdown that occurred sixty days later. Employers must demonstrate the timing and steps it took to secure financing.  The court’s view of the exception places a degree of omniscience on employers to predict exactly when the company will shut down.

Incidentally, the faltering company exception does not apply to mass layoffs under WARN.

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