Judge orders Boise dog day-care business, ex-owner to pay workers fired over COVID-19
A dog day care center in Boise and its former owner have been ordered to pay $50,000 to two employees who were fired for reporting workplace safety concerns during the pandemic.
The employees were terminated in June 2020 after expressing concerns about being exposed to COVID-19 by a coworker who was waiting on test results, according to a news release from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Federal judge Lynn Winmill approved a settlement Monday between OSHA’s parent, the U.S. Department of Labor, and House of Hounds and its former owner, Kayla Martin. The settlement requires the business and Martin to pay each of the employees $25,000 in damages.
They were also ordered to provide the two workers with neutral employment recommendations, remove any references to the incident from employment records, and apologize publicly to the pair on social media.
House of Hounds, at 2181 W. Commerce Ave., near the Boise Airport, provides day care, overnight boarding, walks and spa services for dogs. Martin sold the business amid the litigation, the release said.
OSHA began investigating the incident after the former employees filed a whistleblower complaint. The agency found that Martin, after hearing concerns from her workers about being exposed to COVID-19, told them to finish what they were doing and go home. Martin then removed the pair from the company’s social media platforms and weekly work schedule.
The employer treated a third employee similarly, but that employee did not file an OSHA complaint, the agency said.
When the two workers applied for unemployment insurance after being fired, House of Hounds challenged their benefits claim and told the Idaho Department of Labor that they “quit.”
“Federal law protects employees against employers taking adverse actions against those who exercise their legal rights regarding workplace safety and health,” said Marc Pilot, OSHA’s regional solicitor, in the release. “This judgment underscores the U.S. Department of Labor’s commitment to enforcing fundamental workers’ rights to express safety concerns freely and without fear of retaliation.”
This story was originally published October 4, 2023 at 2:17 PM.
