Vellali v. Yale University

**What Happened** A worker named Cherry was fired from their job at the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle (Metro) for violating the employer's no-weapons policy. Cherry challenged this termination in court, arguing that the firing was wrongful. **What the Court Decided** The court ruled in favor of the worker and overturned a lower court's decision that had sided with Metro. The court found that Metro's workplace weapons policy conflicted with Washington state law. Specifically, state law RCW 9.41.290 gives the state complete control over firearms regulations, meaning local employers like Metro cannot create their own conflicting weapons policies. The case was sent back to a lower court to continue addressing other parts of Cherry's lawsuit. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling is significant because it shows that employers cannot always create workplace policies that override state laws. When state law specifically controls an area like firearms regulation, employers must follow state rules rather than making their own conflicting policies. Workers in Washington should know that their employers' policies must comply with existing state laws, and they may have grounds to challenge terminations based on policies that conflict with state regulations.