Termination follows employee’s refusal to participate in training in a new position

Termination follows employee’s refusal to participate in training in a new position
2013 NY Slip Op 08115, Appellate Division, First Department

Employer filed disciplinary charges against Employee alleging misconduct after Employee refused to comply with orders to participate in training for a new position after being reassigned to a different department and absenting himself from work for more than 11 months. Found guilty of the charges and specifications, Employee was terminated from his position.

The Appellate Division sustained Employer’s action, holding that substantial evidence supported its determination. The court also stated that the penalty imposed, termination, was not so disproportionate to Employee’s offense as to shock its sense of fairness, explaining that the evidence established that Employer’s requirement that Employee participate in processing training was not in excess of its authority.

In addition, the court mentioned that Employee had not observed the rule of "work now, grieve later" and that Employee had failed to show that any exceptions to the rule applied in Employee’s situation, citing Ferreri v New York State Thruway Authority, 62 NY2d 855.

The decision is posted on the Internet at:

http://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseries/2013/2013_08115.htm
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