Most employees will never face a false accusation in the workplace, but those that do end up in one of the most stressful situations possible. When NAPE/AFSCME member Becky Cooksley, an Office Specialist for the State Patrol in North Platte, was accused of insubordination, she contacted her union representative for assistance, support, and advocacy.
The State Patrol began an internal affairs investigation after Becky was alleged to have violated the agency’s dress code. Becky wore a shirt to work that exposed her shoulders, which violated agency policy. She was sent home and retrieved a sweater to ensure her shoulders were covered.
The following day, during her unpaid lunch break, Becky attended a retirement party in the basement of her building. She took her sweater off because it was hot, and prior to returning to the office she put her sweater back on.
Shortly thereafter, Becky found herself the subject of an internal affairs investigation. Eventually, she was charged with insubordination and disciplined with a six month probation.
“I was shocked,” Becky said. “I’ve been a dedicated employee for eleven years, and I’ve never had a problem with our dress code. When it was pointed out to me that I needed to keep my shoulders covered, I got a sweater right away.”
At issue was whether Becky ignored her supervisor’s directive to keep her shoulders covered. “I was on my lunch break in the basement and I was hot. It didn’t occur to me that if I didn’t keep my shoulders covered on my unpaid lunch break in the basement that I would be insubordinate. I would never purposefully be insubordinate.”
When she returned to work, Becky had her sweater on, but that didn’t stop the State Patrol from disciplining her. NAPE/AFSCME took action and appealed the disciplinary action to binding arbitration to let a neutral arbitrator determine if there was just cause to discipline Becky. Before reaching an arbitration hearing, the State Patrol agreed to rescind the disciplinary action. The disciplinary records were removed from Becky’s personnel file.
“I’m thankful that my union representative was there to advocate for me,” Becky said. “Don’t hesitate to reach out for help. If I didn’t have my union fighting for me, there probably would have been a different outcome. It was all very stressful and frustrating.”
If you find yourself facing an investigation or disciplinary action, contact us right away for assistance.
