News Notes: Arbitrator’s Decision Not To Fire Trucker Who Failed Drug Tests Upheld

The U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously upheld an arbitrator’s decision reinstating a truck driver who twice failed required drug tests after testing positive for marijuana. Eastern Associated Coal Co. argued that it had the right to terminate the worker as a matter of safety and public policy under federal Department of Transportation safety regulations. But the Supreme Court found that neither the DOT rules nor public policy precluded the reinstatement. And a collective bargaining agreement allowed the arbitrator to make the final determination of what constituted “just cause” for discharge.