Bus driver took company vehicle to bar and drank too much
This instalment of You Make the Call features a bus driver who was fired for consuming alcohol and then driving a company vehicle.
Randy Lanyon, 46, was a driver for Greyhound Canada, a passenger and package express service, in Thompson, Man. Originally based in Winnipeg, Lanyon transferred to Thompson to help relieve drivers there. He was employed with Greyhound since 1989 and had a copy of the company’s drivers’ rule book and was familiar with its drug and alcohol policy. He had three written reprimands during his 20 years with the company, with one leading to a 24-hour suspension. None had come in the previous two years.
On Oct. 23, 2009, Lanyon returned from a trip at mid-day and was off for the next three days. He was still relatively new to Thompson and decided to go to a restaurant to relax and play on some video lottery terminals located there. He drove a company truck — which he had permission to use — to the restaurant and stayed there for about five hours and drank three or four beers. Afterwards, he decided to get a pizza to take back to the drivers’ dorm where he was staying, located back at the Greyhound depot.
At the pizza restaurant, he was met by some police officers who offered to drive him back to the depot because he had been drinking. The truck was left at the restaurant and had to be retrieved the next day.
Greyhound learned of the incident and held a disciplinary meeting on Oct. 27. It was concerned because operating a company vehicle while under the influence of a substance violated two of its drivers’ rules and its drug and alcohol policy. It felt Lanyon’s conduct risked damaging its reputation and it needed to apply its rules and policies consistently, so it terminated Lanyon’s employment.
Lanyon was remorseful about his actions and sought counselling for gambling and alcohol abuse He also said if he was allowed back to work he would be willing to submit to frequent testing. However, Greyhound said it must have complete trust in its drivers because they work in an unsupervised environment, and Lanyon violated that trust while in possession of a company vehicle.
You Make the Call
Should Lanyon be given another chance and be reinstated?
OR
Was termination appropriate for violating well-established rules and policies and the employer’s trust?
If you said Lanyon should be given another chance, you’re right. The arbitrator agreed with Greyhound that its concerns for risk management and public relations because of the incident were legitimate and it was essential for the company to be able to trust that its drivers will follow its rules and policies. However, the arbitrator found Lanyon was a long-term employee with a good record who expressed remorse over the incident. The steps Lanyon took to deal with his gambling and willingness to co-operate with Greyhound in future testing demonstrated the employment relationship could be rehabilitated, said the arbitrator.
“I accept that (Lanyon) was upset with himself for his conduct and will make every effort to comply with the employer rules and policies in the future,” said the arbitrator.
Greyhound was ordered to reinstate Lanyon to his employment without any compensation for the time he missed in recognition of the seriousness he should take Greyhound’s rules and policies. The reinstatement was subject to any alcohol tests requested by Greyhound over the next year and reports from Lanyon’s gambling counsellor.
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