Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 5th Edition by Raymond Noe, John Hollenbeck, Barry Gerhart, Patrick Wright

Exercise 22

A Termination Controversy at Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Occasionally, disputes in the workplace arise over matters that are controversial yet close to employees' hearts. In those situations, managers rely on human resource professionals to help them resolve the disputes constructively, with respect for the feelings of everyone involved. When efforts fail, the result can be extremely problematic, as a recent situation involving NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory illustrates.
JPL hires some of the top technical talent in the United States to create innovative designs for carrying out complex missions. One of those talented employees was David Coppedge, a systems administrator who for 15 years worked on NASA's Cassini mission to explore the solar system. He maintained computer networks and solved technical problems related to those networks. During part of that time, Coppedge served as team leader, a linking role between the managers and technicians involved with the mission. However, JPL demoted Coppedge in 2009, and two years later, the organization laid off Coppedge along with 200 other employees. After his demotion, Coppedge claimed he had been discriminated against on religious grounds. After the layoff, Coppedge added wrongful termination to his lawsuit against JPL on the grounds it had terminated him in retaliation for the discrimination complaint.
What went wrong? While the trial is still under way as this case is being written, enough facts are on record to identify issues relevant to human resource management. Coppedge, his managers, and co-workers agree that besides being a computer expert, he was known at JPL for his commitment to evangelical Christianity. In particular, he advocated his views favoring Intelligent Design, a religious understanding of the origins of the universe. In Coppedge's complaint, he charges that JPL harassed, demoted, and terminated him for expressing those views, yet the company did not punish other workers who disagreed with him. JPL's response to these charges was that Coppedge did not merely express a religious view. Rather, according to JPL, Coppedge engaged in disruptive behavior. More than a dozen people had complained to Coppedge's supervisor that he was stubborn and unpleasant to interact with. However, Coppedge noted that co-worker complaints were that he was lending them DVDs on Intelligent Design and objecting to the name of the "holiday" pot-luck in December, complaints that Coppedge perceived as harassment of him based on religion.
JPL has insisted in court testimony that it focused on Coppedge's job-related behaviors, not on his beliefs. JPL's lawyer argued that Coppedge was told, "We have no problem with people discussing religion or politics in the office, as long as it's not unwelcome or disruptive." JPL also pointed out that when Coppedge was laid off, so were many others, following cuts in funding and as the Cassini project was nearing its end. Coppedge maintains that supervisors criticized him for "pushing religion" and told him not to discuss religion at all, or else he could be fired. He said JPL did not inform him that co-workers did not want to engage in religious discussions, but did tell him it was his duty to interpret their body language. Coppedge also said JPL told him he had violated the organization's policy against harassment as well as its policy related to ethics and business conduct. Personnel records show positive evaluations of Coppedge's work.
How might alternative dispute resolution techniques have helped JPL resolve this dispute between Coppedge and his co-workers?