Gordon Terminal Service Co. v. UCBR – Cmwlth. Court – Juine 3, 2019 – reported, precedential
Held: Where the evidence showed that the employer’s enforcement of a rule against use of cell phone at work was inconsistent, the employer did not establish the existence of a rule that would support a finding of willful misconduct.
Although Employer may have had a written policy prohibiting the use of cell phones without special approval, in reality the Board found that, if Employer had such a policy, Employer engaged in “inconsistent enforcement” of it. (Id. at 123a.) As such, Employer did not establish the existence of a rule that could support a finding of willful misconduct.
See Great Valley Publ’g., 136 A.3d at 537 (holding that where employer admittedly tolerated violations of its policy governing employees’ internet use, employer failed to establish that claimant’s use of internet amounted to willful misconduct); Penn Photomounts, Inc. v. UCBR, 417 A.2d 1311, 1314-15 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1980) (holding that although employer had formal policy for reporting absences and employer was aware that its employees followed less formal practice to report absences and tolerated less formal reporting practice, use of less formal practice did not constitute willful misconduct). Thus, Employer failed to meet its burden to prove that Claimant violated Employer’s work rule
Inconsistent enforcement v. disparate treatment
The Board did not determine that Employer engaged in disparate treatment but rather that Employer did not meet its burden to establish willful misconduct due to its inconsistent enforcement of a work rule. The Board, in support of its decision, wrote: The Board is unable to substantiate any error in the Referee’s willful misconduct analysis. The employer contends that the claimant’s testimony is insufficient to establish disparate treatment regarding cell phone usage in the workplace. Nonetheless, the claimant’s testimony was more than sufficient to establish inconsistent enforcement of an alleged work rule stating that cell phone use is not permissible without special approval. (Id. at 123a.)
The distinction between the two concepts—i.e., disparate treatment and inconsistent enforcement of an alleged work rule—is nuanced and subtle. Disparate treatment is applicable where an employer enforces a rule in different manners, whereas inconsistent enforcement occurs where an employer enforces a rule so inconsistently that it no longer appears to be a rule that employees must follow. Furthermore, disparate treatment is an affirmative defense to willful misconduct, while inconsistent enforcement of a rule results in an employer’s inability to prove willful misconduct. In situations of inconsistent enforcement, an employer cannot prove the “deliberate violation” required by Grieb necessary for a determination of willful misconduct. See Grieb, 827 A.2d at 425 (identifying “deliberate violation of an employer’s rules” as a form of willful misconduct). Here, the Board concluded that Employer failed to establish a violation of Employer’s rules due to Employer’s inconsistent enforcement of its cell phone prohibition and, therefore, failed to prove willful misconduct. As a result, the affirmative defense of “disparate treatment” is inapplicable.
