In the Third Circuit, an employer’s honest belief that an employee committed misconduct can now serve as a defense to a retaliation claim under the FMLA.  With the recent decision in Capps v. Mondelez Global, LLC (found here) the Third Circuit joins the Seventh, Eighth and Tenth Circuits in providing such a defense.

In the Capps case, Mondelez (the employer) fired Fredrick Capps (a longtime employee) for what Mondelez believed to be dishonest use of intermittent FMLA leave.  During the time of his employment, Capps suffered from a medical condition that required him to undergo bilateral hip replacement in 2003.  Thereafter, he experienced flare-ups that caused him severe pain, which sometimes lasted for days or weeks at a time. As a result of his condition, Capps requested intermittent FMLA leave to cover his periodic time off work.  Because of his ongoing condition, Capps was recertified for intermittent FMLA leave every six months from 2003 to the end of his employment.

On February 14, 2013, Capps reported that he would not be in to work because he was experiencing pain caused by a flare-up of his condition.  Later that same day, Capps drove to a local pub, where he got something to eat and also had a few beers and shots of alcohol with his friends.  About three hours later, Capps attempted to drive home, but was arrested for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (“DUI”) and spent the night in jail.  After being released from jail the next morning, Capps again called off work using intermittent FMLA leave because he said he was experiencing leg pain from his condition.

When Capps returned to work, he did not report his DUI arrest.  However, over the next several months he called off work numerous times and requested intermittent FMLA leave for his condition.  Interestingly enough, during this same time period, Capps was required to attend court hearings and other appointments related to his DUI charge.

On August 7, 2013, Capps pled guilty to the DUI charge and immediately served 72 hours in jail.  When the employer became aware of Capps’ conviction early in 2014, an investigation commenced looking into Capps’ attendance from the time of his DUI arrest to his guilty plea.  This investigation uncovered that Capps’ arrest date and several subsequent court dates corresponded with days that Capps had also used intermittent FMLA leave.  After further investigation, including discussions with Capps himself, it became clear that the documentation Capps submitted did not support his need for FMLA leave on the days that he also appeared in court.

Subsequently, Capps was discharged based on his violation of the company’s Dishonest Acts Policy and misuse of FMLA leave. The termination letter sent to Capps stated: “You claimed to be out due to [ ] FMLA related issues on multiple dates. The documentation you produced does not support your claim of [ ] FMLA related absences.”  After his termination, Capps filed suit claiming, among other things, that the employer retaliated against him for exercising his rights under the FMLA.

After having his FMLA retaliation claim dismissed on summary judgment, Capps’ argued on appeal that the District Court improperly dismissed his claim because the employer was mistaken in its belief that Capps misused his FMLA leave or was otherwise dishonest. However, the Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Capp’s FMLA retaliation claim emphasizing that an FMLA retaliation claim requires proof of an employer’s retaliatory intent.  In other words, Capps could not show that the employer’s reasonable belief that he was dishonest and misused his FMLA leave was a pretext for retaliation.

While employers should always proceed with caution before terminating an employee around the time he or she requests, takes, or returns from FMLA leave; the Third Circuit’s adoption of the honest belief defense provides a significant means for employers to defend against FMLA retaliation claims. More specifically, employers that discharge an employee based upon an honest belief that the employee is abusing FMLA leave may now be more likely to prevail on a motion for summary judgement.

To be clear, this case is not a get out of jail free card for employers.  Before the decision is made to terminate, employers must be sure that there is supporting evidence of the employer’s honest belief. In the Capps case, this took the form of a thorough investigation of the employee’s absences along with an opportunity for the employee to explain and support his actions.  Yet, when an employer has supporting evidence and reasonably believes that an employee abused FMLA leave or was otherwise dishonest about the need for such leave, this honest belief will serve as the employer’s defense to a FMLA retaliation claim.

In 2010, two employees filed a claim against their former employer, Robert Half International, Inc., alleging that it violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). In addition to individual claims, the plaintiffs brought a collective action on behalf of all other similarly situated employees. The plaintiffs, however, had signed employment agreements containing arbitration clauses, which generally required that any dispute arising out of their employment be submitted to arbitration. It was silent as to class-wide claims.

The employer filed a motion to compel the employees to resolve their claims through arbitration on an individualized basis. The court ordered the employees to submit their claims to arbitration but left for the arbitrator to decide whether the claims could proceed on a class basis. The arbitrator subsequently ruled that class arbitration was permitted under the agreements. The employer appealed and argued that the question of whether the employees could submit claims to arbitration on a class-wide basis is one to be decided by the courts, not an arbitrator.

The First Shoe

The Third Circuit agreed. The court first explained that it is generally the province of the courts to resolve “questions of arbitrability.” That is, courts have narrow authority to decide whether or not an arbitration clause applies to particular claims and/or particular parties. On the other hand, arbitrators decide all issues they have been authorized by the parties to resolve. This includes procedural questions, and in traditional litigation, questions of class are procedural in nature. So, in this case, the court was presented with the following question: when an arbitration clause is silent as to arbitration on a class basis, is the permissibility of class arbitration a “question of arbitrability” to be decided by the court, or is it a procedural question to be decided by an arbitrator?

In a precedential opinion issued in 2014, the Third Circuit held that it was a question of arbitrability reserved for the court, because it was an issue of whether the clause applies to particular claims and/or parties. With this ruling, the Third Circuit then remanded the case to the district court to determine whether the employment agreements authorized class arbitration. On remand, finding no explicit language in the arbitration clauses, and finding no other evidence to the contrary, the district court found that class arbitration was not permitted under the agreement. The employees appealed.

The Other Shoe (sort of)

In a non-binding decision issued at the end of January, the Third Circuit agreed that class arbitration was not permitted. First, the court recognized that “a party may only be compelled to submit to class arbitration if there is a contractual basis for concluding that the party agreed to do so.” Stolt-Nielsen S.A. v. AnimalFeeds Int’l, Inc., 559 U.S. 662, 684 (2010). To determine whether the parties agreed to class arbitration in this case, the court first looked for explicit language of authorization, noting that under Third Circuit precedent, “silence regarding class arbitrability generally indicates a prohibition.” Quillion v. Tenet HealthSystems Phila., Inc., 673 F.3d 221, 228 (3d Cir. 2012). It found no explicit language. Despite this finding and its precedent concerning the silence of class arbitration, the court did not stop there. It went on to look for implicit authorization elsewhere in the employment agreement. It again found nothing and affirmed that the agreement did not authorize class-wide arbitration.

While this ruling resolves this case and gives guidance moving forward, it does not definitively answer whether the absence of explicit language precludes class arbitration. To the contrary, the court’s analysis suggests that class arbitration could be inferred from other language in the employment agreement. So, going forward, to avoid a court making such an inference – one contrary to your true intent – inclusion of explicit language prohibiting class arbitration remains the best policy. However, you must be aware that the National Labor Relations Board takes the position that explicit prohibitions of class arbitration violate the National Labor Relations Act. Three courts of appeals, among other courts, have disagreed and overturned the Board’s position. Stay tuned, as the Supreme Court of the United States is set to resolve this question later this year.

A few weeks ago, a jury in New Jersey federal court found that Lockheed Martin discriminated against a former employee. The employee claimed that Lockheed violated federal and state laws by discriminating against him on the basis of age, including by paying him less than his younger co-workers. The jury’s award: $51.5 million ($1.5 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages).  Although the claim was only partially based on unequal pay, and although the punitive damages award is constitutionally suspect (U.S. Supreme Court precedent holds that punitive damages should generally not be more than ten times the amount of compensatory damages), the award is indicative of an ever-emerging emphasis on pay equity.

Since January of 2016, several states have enacted equal pay statutes, and several others have pending legislation. California, New York, Maryland, and Massachusetts all have statues that prohibit pay discrimination on the basis of sex (Maryland’s also includes gender identity). Each of these statutes makes it easier for employees to establish pay discrimination claims, including requiring no proof of intent. One state, however, allows employers to establish an affirmative defense. Under Massachusetts’ statute, which is set to go into effect in July 2018, an employer has an affirmative defense if it completed a self-evaluation of its pay practices within three years of the claim, and it made reasonable progress toward eliminating pay differences revealed by the self-evaluation.

It is not just states that have turned their focus toward compensation. Our federal contractor subscribers – recognizing that Lockheed Martin is a federal contractor (the biggest, actually) – may find themselves wondering how aggressive the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has become with respect to compensation. If its lawsuit against Google is any indication, OFCCP has become quite aggressive. Typically, during a compliance audit OFCCP will require employers to provide compensation data for all current employees to ensure no disparity across races and genders. With Google, it went further. It demanded wage histories, changes in compensation, and employee contact information. When Google refused, OFCCP filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction and threatened to cancel all of Google’s federal contracts.

Finally, even if you are not in a state that has current or pending pay equity statutes, and even if you are not a federal contractor, employers may need to report compensation in the future. For employers with 100 employees or more, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has proposed to collect compensation data by sex, race, and ethnicity for each job category. Thus, starting in March 2018 – assuming no changes occur under the new Trump administration – those employers will be required to include compensation information in their EEO-1 report. According to the EEOC, this “will provide a much needed tool to identify discriminatory pay practices where they exist in order to ensure that fair pay practices are put in place.”

Considering all this momentum toward ensuring pay equity, compensation has possibly become one of employers’ greatest vulnerabilities.  Now may be the time to conduct an internal analysis – preferably one shielded by attorney-client privilege – to determine whether disparities exist within your compensation structure. Stay tuned for future podcasts, webinars, and seminars that will address this issue in part.

On November 3, 2016, the National Labor Relations Board issued a Decision and Order in Trump Ruffin Commercial, LLC, finding that the Trump International Hotel, Las Vegas unlawfully refused to bargain with UNITE HERE International Union after the union won a representation election among the Hotel’s housekeeping, food and beverage and guest service employees.

….In other news, just five days later, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States with the pledges to Make America Great Again, to cultivate more good paying jobs for Americans and to undo much of the agenda of the Obama administration.

Over the past several Presidential transitions, the Human Resources community has become accustomed to the swinging pendulum in the areas of labor and employment law.  We know change is coming.  We’re just not always sure what exactly it will involve.   Everyone remembers the threat of unions being certified on the basis of a card check, right?  That didn’t happen in 2009, but of course quickie elections did.  So making specific predictions on Inauguration Day can be dangerous.   But as the new Administration now has officially taken over, we have to at least try.

Here’s an easy one:  President Trump is unlikely to be appointing what we would call traditional candidates to run the departments and agencies that regulate the American workplace.    While he has nominated some people who have significant governmental service on their resumes, the current list includes a fair share of people with no such experience – – CEOs, philanthropists, investment bankers, a neurosurgeon, even the co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment.   These appointments do not signal “business as usual” for the federal government, nor did the President who, in his inaugural address, pledged to transfer power from Washington back to the American people.

At first blush, this would portend wholesale rollback of workplace regulations.  Indeed, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Labor, fast-food executive Andrew Puzder, has been a critic of substantially increasing the minimum wage and a vocal opponent of the Obama administration’s efforts to make more workers eligible for overtime pay.  And critics have noted similar opposition by other nominees to what has been the recent mission or focus of the agency that they may be leading (See Governor Rick Perry and Betsy DeVos).

But here’s the rub:  a substantial portion of President Trump’s electoral base of support likely will not support the pendulum swinging back in ways that make their workplaces less safe or adversely impact their earnings.  So…this will be a bit more complicated.

What can we say now in January 2017 with confidence?

  • We’re not going to get back all of that time we spent learning the ever changing minutiae of the Affordable Care Act.  But we can certainly anticipate that there will be new regulation impacting employer provided health insurance.
  • We will see change in leadership at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  The current EEOC Chair’s term will end in July 2017, and the new Chair will likely fill the now vacant EEOC General Counsel position.   That new leadership is less likely to retain the current EEOC’s focus upon pay equity issues and seeking to expand gender identity and sexual orientation protections through selective litigation.   And let’s not forget the agency’s proposed regulations that would require employers to provide compensation data and hours for all employees as part of the EEO-1 reporting process.  We think that it is unlikely that these requirements will become effective in March 2018, as currently planned.
  • The NLRB will be looking at the bureaucratic version of Extreme Home Makeover.  Readers of our Annual NLRB Year in Review will recall that the Obama Board has involved itself in everything from revising the representation election timeline, to creating rights to use your email system for organizing activity to uncovering the dastardly hidden meaning of the most innocuous provisions of your employee handbook.  They expanded the concept of joint employment to the point you might have to sit at the bargaining table to discuss wages, benefits and working conditions of people who are not even your employees.  And then when they were done with that, they even tried to get involved in college football!  The party’s soon over at the Board.  President Trump will have the opportunity to fill two current Member vacancies on the Board as soon as he gets down to work.  More critically, by November he will have the opportunity to replace NLRB General Counsel Richard Griffin Jr., an Obama appointee, former union lawyer and spearhead for most of the NLRB’s most aggressive initiatives.
  • OSHA recordkeeping requirements should be reduced.  We know how this has been an area of focus over the past 8 years and has caused more work for employers.  And the new silica rules and anti-retaliation rules that seek to effectively prohibit mandatory post-accident drug testing and safety incentive programs may soon be on the cutting room floor.

So, that’s enough prognostication on Day 1 of the Trump Administration.  Stay tuned!

 

Just over thirty years ago, Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (“the Act”). It requires that employers verify the identity and work authorization of the people they hire. It also mandates that such verification be done on a form designated by the Attorney General. We know that form as the I-9. From time to time, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) issues revised versions of the I-9. It did so again last November.

As we outlined in our original blog post, the new version, found here, contains a few modifications. First, it is designed to be more computer-friendly, with dropdown lists, calendars for filling in dates, and on-screen instructions – all useful in eliminating common errors discovered during audits. Additionally, it has prompts to ensure information is entered correctly, the ability to have multiple preparers, a dedicated area for additional information, and a supplemental page for the preparer. Finally, the new version changes Section 1. Instead of asking for “other names used” by the employee, it asks for “other last names used.”

While employers had the option to start using the new version immediately, they are required to start using the new version no later than January 22, 2017. On the lower left corner of the form, you will see that the form has a revision date of “11/14/2016 N.” The “N” denotes that after the effective date of the form, previous versions are no longer valid, and employers cannot use them to satisfy the requirements of the Act. In its news release about the update, the USCIS indicated that the new Form I-9 will become effective on January 22, 2017.

So, if you have yet to make the switch, now is the time. Keep in mind, however, that despite the implementation of the new form, employers must continue to comply with existing rules for storage and retention with respect to all previously completed forms.

The Philadelphia City Council recently passed Bill No. 160840, a wage equity ordinance (the “Ordinance”), that will amend Philadelphia’s Fair Practices Ordinance to prohibit employers or employment agencies from inquiring about the wage history of potential employees.  Among other things, the Ordinance also includes an anti-retaliation provision, which prohibits any form of retaliation against a prospective employee for failing to comply with a wage history inquiry.

More specifically, the Ordinance provides that it is an unlawful employment practice for a covered employer to:

  1. inquire about a prospective employee’s wage history;
  2. require disclosure of wage history;
  3. condition employment or consideration for an interview on disclosure of wage history; or
  4. retaliate against a prospective employee for failing to comply with any wage history inquiry.

Furthermore, the ordinance also makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer to “rely on the wage history of a prospective employee from any current or former employer when determining the wages for such individual at any stage in the employment process,” which includes the negotiation or drafting of any employment agreement.  However, the Ordinance does provide an exception that permits an employer to rely on any wage information that is knowingly and willingly disclosed by an applicant.

It is important to note that this Philadelphia Ordinance will take effect 120 days after it is signed into law by Mayor Jim Kenney, who has expressed his support.  Accordingly, if the Ordinance is signed this month, employers in Philadelphia can expect to see the Ordinance take effect in May of this year.

In anticipation of the enactment of this Ordinance, Philadelphia employers can prepare by:

  1. removing any questions on employment applications that may in any way seek information about salary or wage history;
  2. train hiring managers and interviewers to avoid asking questions about an applicant’s wage history;
  3. refrain from relying on an individual’s wage history (if known) when deciding the appropriate wages/salary to pay a prospective employee; and
  4. review existing policies and practices to ensure compliance with the Ordinance.

This Philadelphia Ordinance is recent example of a growing trend to prohibit employers from requesting and relying on an applicant’s wage history.  This trend has emerged in an effort to address what many call the “gender pay gap.”  In light of these recent actions by state and local governments, employers across Pennsylvania and beyond should stay informed about further developments in this area, as similar laws may soon be proposed and enacted in other locations.

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry recently announced that all employers in the Commonwealth will be required to pay their share of unemployment compensation taxes online.  The new rule takes effect January 1, 2017 and aims to reduce paperwork while streamlining the payment process.  The time for making these electronic payments will depend on whether an employer is considered “contributory” or “reimbursable” under the Unemployment Compensation Law.

Private, for-profit entities are contributory employers and pay unemployment taxes based on a contribution rate and their taxable wage base.  For these employers, the electronic payment requirement begins with the first calendar quarter filing period in 2017.

Political subdivisions and some nonprofit organizations may qualify as a reimbursable employer under the Law.  Reimbursable employers pay back the Unemployment Compensation Fund for the amount of unemployment benefits charged to their account.  These entities are billed either monthly or quarterly and must begin using the electronic payment system with the first 2017 benefit charge period.

Of course, the new rule comes with a set of teeth to encourage participation.  Failure to comply with the electronic payment requirement may result in a penalty of 10% of the payment up to a maximum of $500.00 per occurrence.  The minimum penalty for noncompliance is $25.00 per occurrence.

Employers that are unable to comply with the electronic payment requirement can submit a request for a waiver.  The Department will review each request and issue determinations on a case-by-case basis.  Waiver request forms are available  online.

The electronic payment process will be managed through the Unemployment Compensation Management System, which can be accessed here.  The site also contains useful information about how to register for and make electronic payments.

With the holiday season officially upon us, many employers are finalizing plans to host a party for their employees.  These festivities offer a time for colleagues to celebrate the year’s accomplishments, to extend season’s greetings, and to bond with one another in a less formal environment.  Sometimes, though, the holiday cheer can turn into a nightmare for employers.

By keeping an eye out for the many issues that may arise during an office holiday party, and by sticking to a few simple rules, you can ensure that your organization stays on the “nice” list this year.

Remember that Holidays Aren’t the Same for Everyone

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and many state laws, including the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, protect employees from discrimination based on race, sex, national origin, and religion, among other things.  Unfortunately, holiday celebrations have landed some employers in legal hot water during the most wonderful time of the year, including: disciplining a Muslim employee for refusing to participate in Christmas activities (EEOC v. Norwegian Am. Hosp.) and forcing a Jehovah’s Witness employee to use vacation time to skip a holiday party (Westbrook v. NC A&T State Univ.).  You can avoid these potential problems by taking the following steps:

  • Hold holiday parties off-premises and during non-work hours if possible.
  • Make attendance optional. If the party is held outside of work hours and optional, then employees who may not celebrate holidays for religious or ethnic reasons can miss the party without forfeiting pay or suffering discipline.
  • Consider offering a “holiday party” or “end of year party” instead of a celebration linked to a particular religious observance. Although you may not get sued for simply having a “Christmas Party” or “Hanukkah Party,” adding religious overtones to your celebration may leave some workers feeling alienated or unwelcome.
  • If an employee has a religious or cultural objection to participating in your company’s holiday celebration, explore whether there’s a reasonable accommodation that will alleviate that employee’s concerns.

Keep an Eye Out for Bad Santas

Cultural and religious issues aren’t the only ones that can cause headaches for employers this time of year. In Brennan v. Townsend & O’Leary Enterprises, Inc., an employer held a holiday party for its employees.  A supervisor dressed as Santa Claus and asked his female subordinates to sit on his lap while he asked questions about their love lives.  One female employee sued on the basis of sexual harassment.  Ultimately, the case went to trial, where a jury awarded the employee $250,000.  The verdict was overturned on appeal, but the employer’s legal costs in defending the claim figure to be astronomical.

Work to prevent similar unfortunate scenarios by reminding employees that while holiday parties are meant to be fun and informal, they are still work-related functions and employment policies, including your anti-harassment policy, apply.  At your party, everyone should treat each other with same dignity and respect as they do during a normal workday.  Employees should be encouraged to report any questionable behavior so that it can be immediately corrected if necessary.  If you follow our blog, you already know that your workplace should be free from sexual harassment; your holiday party should be too!

If you’re Serving Egg Nog (or Other Alcoholic Beverages)…

Many employers choose to serve alcohol to add to the cheer and festive atmosphere at their holiday parties.  There’s usually nothing wrong with this from a legal perspective, and employees often appreciate the ability to enjoy an adult beverage while having a good time with work colleagues.  Serving alcohol at a work function does have its risks, though.  For instance, personal inhibitions often dissolve the more one drinks.  So what can you do to slow employees down while still keeping the party going?  Well…

  • Offer a certain number of drink tickets to each employee. By limiting the number of drinks available to your workers, you’re taking a big step toward keeping someone from drinking too much.
  • Fill your drink menu with beverages that contain relatively low amounts of alcohol. Stick to beer and wine, and leave the hard stuff at home.  Also offer plenty of non-alcoholic drink choices.
  • Make food available to help slow the absorption of alcohol.
  • Consider finding a few volunteers who will not drink (good luck!) and monitor the party. These folks can see whether someone has had too much to drink and help arrange for cabs and/or designated drivers.
  • Close the bar well before the event is over. Allow an hour or so for employees to continue mingling after last call.
  • Provide some form of transportation to and from the event.

Although there are ways for your festivities to turn into trouble, you certainly don’t need to be a Grinch to avoid the hassle.  Just remember that establishing and following a set of reasonable ground rules will foster a safe and happy holiday event for everyone.

Public employers in Pennsylvania beware: if you implement an attendance policy designed to get your employees to show up for work, you may commit an unfair labor practice!  If your employees are represented by a labor union, and your policy outlines disciplinary action, then you must bargain with the appropriate union before issuing discipline under the policy.  The employer in Chester Upland Sch. Dist. v. Pa. Labor Relations Bd., learned that the hard way.

In that case, the public school district unilaterally adopted a new attendance and punctuality policy.  The new policy applied progressive discipline to employees who reached a certain number of absences due to personal illness.  The updated policy was adopted shortly after the expiration of a collective bargaining agreement between the district and its employees.

Upon learning of the change, the employees’ union filed an unfair labor practice charge, arguing that the district committed an unfair labor practice by adopting the policy without engaging in collective bargaining.  The union pointed to the prior collective bargaining agreement’s sick leave provisions, which provided each employee with eleven sick days per school year and was silent on discipline.  The district countered that the updated policy did not impose a new source of discipline; employees were always subject to discipline for attendance violations.  Rather, according to the employer, the new policy simply advised employees as to how attendance issues were tracked for disciplinary purposes.

The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board rejected the employer’s arguments, finding that the district committed an unfair labor practice by unilaterally changing the terms and conditions of employment through adopting the new attendance policy.  The district appealed to the Commonwealth Court, which upheld the Board’s determination.  The Court provided several reasons for doing so.

First, it recognized the PLRB’s long history of treating sick leave policies as mandatory subjects of collective bargaining.  Second, the Commonwealth Court held that new policy did not simply explain how the district tracked absences for disciplinary purposes; instead, it specifically imposed progressive discipline for using sick days.  An employer’s unilateral changing of terms and conditions of employment, explained the Court, is an unfair labor practice regardless of whether it happens during the term of a CBA, following the expiration of a CBA or during the course of negotiations.  Moreover, the new policy directly conflicted with the express terms of the collective bargaining agreement, which did not provide for disciplinary action.

This case serves as an important reminder to public employers in Pennsylvania that when adopting new policies, a careful examination of the appropriate collective bargaining agreements is required.  Before implementing new rules that can result in disciplinary action, negotiation is typically required.  Adopting new disciplinary rules without engaging in collective bargaining will not withstand the scrutiny of the PLRB or Pennsylvania courts.

On November 28, 2016, a federal district court issued an order that allowed OSHA to move forward with implementation of its controversial standards related to mandatory post-accident drug testing programs and incident-based employer safety incentive programs.  As McNees previously reported, OSHA delayed enforcement of these parts of its final rule, aimed to “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” (the “Rule”), until December 1, 2016.  Absent any further developments, the Rule is set to become enforceable December 1, 2016.

However, while the Rule will become enforceable, its continued validity remains questionable.  The court’s order does not dispose of the underlying complaint that asked the court to vacate the relevant parts of the Rule, the order only denied the request for a preliminary injunction.  Another layer of uncertainty has been added since Donald Trump was elected president.  President-elect Trump’s administration may ultimately decide to undo the relevant provisions or retreat from the prior administration’s expansive interpretations after he takes office in January 2017.  This creates a situation where employers need to comply with the controversial standards for now, but OSHA or a court may indicate otherwise in the not-so-distant future.  Further background on these provisions, OSHA’s guidance, and the ongoing litigation is provided below, with a focus on post-accident drug and alcohol testing.

The Controversial Provisions of the Rule

When OSHA issued the Rule in May 2016, the agency created an enforcement tool allowing it, for the first time, to independently cite employers if their policies for post-accident drug or alcohol testing, employee discipline, or safety incentive programs are deemed retaliatory because they discourage or deter injury reporting.  The controversial portions of OSHA’s Rule are at 29 C.F.R. § 1904.35(b), which requires employers to “establish a reasonable procedure for employees to report work-related injuries and illnesses promptly and accurately.”  A procedure is “not reasonable,” according to the Rule, “if it would deter or discourage a reasonable employee from accurately reporting a workplace injury or illness.”  In conjunction with this requirement, the Rule prohibits employers from discriminating or retaliating against employees for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses.

Essentially, the Rule provides that blanket post-accident drug and alcohol testing policies will discourage injury reporting and could be retaliatory..  Drug or alcohol testing are not specifically mentioned in the text of the Rule.  However, OSHA has provided interpretations in the Rule’s preamble and guidance that establish authority to cite employers for workplace policies that OSHA deems to have discouraged reporting or otherwise to be retaliatory.  For the first time, OSHA will be able to cite an employer for retaliation even if an employee does not file a complaint.  In October 2016, OSHA posted guidance on its Rule webpage related to an Employee’s Right to Report Injuries and Illnesses Free from Retaliation, including a Memorandum for OSHA’s Regional Administrators on implementation of the guidance (together, the “Guidance”).  The Guidance confirms that OSHA’s enforcement will apply to both drug and alcohol testing, and that workplace testing policies implemented pursuant to federal or state law should not be affected.  Yet, significant uncertainty remains for employers.

Lingering Uncertainty and Next Steps for Employers

The uncertainty surrounding the Rule is twofold.  First, from a substantive perspective, implementation is not entirely clear, despite the Guidance.  Employers will be forced to grapple with competing – and potentially conflicting – obligations under OSHA’s Rule and other federal and state laws as they relate to post-accident drug and alcohol testing.  On one hand, employers who require mandatory post-accident testing through sound workplace policies may be cited if OSHA determines that drug or alcohol use was not likely to have been a contributing factor to the reported injury.  On the other hand, if employers do not require mandatory testing across the board (e.g., for all lost-time injuries), workplace incidents related to drug or alcohol use arguably may increase, and selectively choosing individuals for testing may expose employers to claims that they profiled or targeted specific workers.

Second, such substantive issues now threaten the standards’ continued validity, through both litigation and executive action.  In July 2016, several trade associations, along with a workers’ compensation insurer and its insureds, initiated the litigation described above.  The action filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas seeks to vacate the relevant parts of the Rule to the extent they prohibit or limit routine mandatory post-accident drug and alcohol testing programs and incident-based safety incentive programs.  The plaintiffs alleged that OSHA did not have authority to create the new enforcement tool for retaliation, and that OSHA disregarded substantial evidence supporting that routine, mandatory drug and alcohol testing actually enhances workplace safety.  In the midst of the litigation, OSHA decided to postpone enforcement until November 1, 2016 to issue the Guidance.  OSHA later agreed to further delay enforcement of the Rule until December 1, 2016, but its Guidance also urged employers to review their programs and policies to determine whether they may be deemed retaliatory with respect to injury reporting.

Now that the court has denied the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction, employers who have not consulted the OSHA Guidance and prepared for timely compliance should do so by determining whether revisions to their workplace policies are necessary.  The fate of OSHA’s approach is still in the hands of the federal district court, and, even before the court decides the merits, the Trump administration may undo the OSHA standards or interpretations issued under the Obama administration or refuse to enforce them.  Nonetheless, in the interim, employers must understand how the OSHA standards and the Guidance affect their programs.  Risks of noncompliance include potential OSHA citations, including higher penalties in effect since August 2016.

Next Steps for Employers

As noted, the Rule is effective December 1, 2016, so employers need to take steps to ensure compliance.  Need assistance?  McNees contacts that can help include: Steve Matzura, Paul Clouser, Denise Elliott, Joe Sileo and Andrew Levy.