Ackerman v. Delta Air Lines, Inc.

900 F. Supp. 467, 1994 WL 849551
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedSeptember 30, 1994
DocketCiv. A. No. 1:93-CV-0973-JOF
StatusPublished

This text of 900 F. Supp. 467 (Ackerman v. Delta Air Lines, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ackerman v. Delta Air Lines, Inc., 900 F. Supp. 467, 1994 WL 849551 (N.D. Ga. 1994).

Opinion

ORDER

FORRESTER, District Judge.

This matter is before the court on Defendant Delta Air Lines, Inc.’s (“Delta”) motion for summary judgment and Plaintiffs’ motion for an extension of time in which to respond to part of Defendant’s motion for summary judgment.

I. STATEMENT OF FACTS

Plaintiffs were pilots employed by Braniff Airways and had been employed as such with Braniff for four years on October 24, 1978. On May 12, 1982, Braniff Airways ceased operations and filed a petition for Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. At that time, Bran-iff Airways furloughed its employees, including its pilots.

After being furloughed, Plaintiffs submitted employment applications to Defendant. During the periods between July 31, 1981 and September 23,1985 and from January 6, 1992 to the present, Defendant did not hire any pilots from outside their work force.1 Plaintiffs Schueler, Burk, Gest, Good, and Jones accepted positions with other “covered carriers.”2 Whether these positions were within their occupational specialties3 is debated. Plaintiffs Schueler and Good accepted their jobs after seeking employment with Delta. Plaintiffs Burk and Gest had these jobs before they applied to Defendant. Plaintiff Jones accepted employment as a pilot instructor.

In early 1984, Braniff, Inc., a newly-formed subsidiary of the reorganized and renamed Braniff Airways, commenced operations and recalled the furloughed pilots of Braniff Airways in order of seniority as of their furlough from Braniff Airways. All of the Plaintiffs (except Alessi) were hired by Braniff, Inc., and remained employed there until Braniff, Inc., filed for bankruptcy protection in 1989.

Plaintiffs filed suit on May 4,1993, alleging that Defendant violated their first hire rights under section 43(d) of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, 49 U.S.C. § 1552(d). Defendant has moved for summary judgment on four grounds: (1) Plaintiffs’ claims relating to applications submitted to Defendant during the periods of July 31, 1981 to September 3, 1985 and January 6, 1992 to the present should be dismissed because Defendant did not hire from outside its work force during those periods, (2) the claims of Plaintiffs Jones, Burk, Gest, Good, and Schueler should be dismissed because they lost their rights of first hire when they accepted employment with other carriers, (3) Plaintiffs’ claims based on applications submitted to Defendant after October 23, 1988, should be dismissed since their first hire rights expired on that date, and (4) Plaintiffs’ claims should be dismissed because their recall by Braniff, Inc., extinguished their first hire rights. Plaintiffs have responded to all grounds except [470]*470the first and have moved for an extension of time in which to respond to that one.

II. AIRLINE DEREGULATION ACT OF 1978

Prior to 1978, the airline industry was heavily regulated by the Civil Aeronautics Board (“CAB”), and airline management was prevented from exercising control over operations decisions. H.R. No. 95-1211, p. 2 (1978), U.S.Code Cong. & Admin.News 1978, p. 3737. In 1978, the Airline Deregulation Act (“ADA”) sought to reform the industry by limiting the control of the CAB and allowing more competition. Concerned that the airline employees would bear the burden of this change, Congress adopted an Employee Protection Program (“EPP”) as part of the ADA. See generally Alaska Airlines, Inc. v. Brock, 480 U.S. 678, 680, 107 S.Ct. 1476, 1477, 94 L.Ed.2d 661 (1987).

Airline employees who, on account of a “qualifying dislocation,”4 are “deprived of employment” or are “adversely affected” in regards to compensation are designated as “protected employees.”5 49 U.S.C.App. § 1552(a)(1) (Supp.1994). The EPP provides that protected employees who are furloughed or terminated other than for cause prior to the expiration of the ten-year period6 beginning October 24, 1978, shall have “first right of hire, regardless of age, in [their] occupational specialty, by any other air carrier hiring additional employees which held a certificate issued under section 1371 of this title prior to October 24, 1978” Id. at § 1552(d)(1).

III. DISCUSSION

A.Plaintiffs’ Motion for Extension of Time

Plaintiffs responded to three of Defendant’s grounds for summary judgment but requested that this court grant them an extension of time in which to respond to the issue of whether Defendant hired pilots from outside its work force during the periods of July 31, 1981 to September 23, 1985 and January 6, 1992 to the present. Plaintiffs claim that all the records pertaining to this issue are in Defendant’s sole possession, and so Plaintiffs cannot adequately respond until they have deposed Defendant. Plaintiffs requested an additional thirty (30) days following the April 25, 1994 deposition of Defendant in which to respond. Since more than thirty days have elapsed since April 25 and Plaintiffs have not filed a response, Plaintiffs’ motion is DENIED.

B.Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment

Defendant has moved the court for summary judgment on four grounds:

(1) Outside Hires

First, Defendant claims that the obligation to hire protected employees under the EPP arises only “when such carriers are seeking to fill a vacancy in the designated employees’ occupational specialty.” 29 C.F.R. § 220.20(a) (1992); Alaska Airlines, 480 U.S. at 687, 107 S.Ct. at 1481; Crocker v. Piedmont Aviation, Inc., 696 F.Supp. 685, 693 (D.D.C.1988). Defendant asserts that it did not hire any pilots from outside its work force from July 31, 1981 to September 3, 1985 and from January 6, 1992 to the present. Defendant, therefore, moves this court to grant summary judgment in its favor on all of the Plaintiffs’ claims based on employment applications submitted to Defendant during these periods.

[471]*471Plaintiffs admit that Defendant had nó obligation to hire the Plaintiffs who applied to Defendant in those periods if Defendant did not hire from outside its work foree during those periods but contest the factual account as told by Defendant. Plaintiffs claim that they cannot adequately dispute this issue until they have deposed the Defendant. Plaintiffs refer to its motion for extension of time, supra. Since Plaintiffs never responded to this portion of Defendant’s motion after completing the deposition of Defendant, this court must assume that Plaintiffs concede this point. Defendant’s motion for summary judgment as it pertains to the employment applications tendered to Defendant from July 31, 1982 to September 3, 1985 and from January 6, 1992 to the present is GRANTED. Since all of the claims of Plaintiffs August Draftkorn, Roger Duncan, Wayne T. Hoover, and Thomas Kyger are based on applications during those periods, these Plaintiffs are dismissed from the action.

(2)Accepting Employment with Covered Carrier

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Related

Alaska Airlines, Inc. v. Brock
480 U.S. 678 (Supreme Court, 1987)
Hobart N. Crocker, Jr. v. Piedmont Aviation, Inc.
933 F.2d 1024 (D.C. Circuit, 1991)
Charles R. Haggerty v. Usair, Inc
952 F.2d 781 (Third Circuit, 1992)
Crocker v. Piedmont Aviation, Inc.
696 F. Supp. 685 (District of Columbia, 1988)
Long v. Trans World Airlines, Inc.
761 F. Supp. 1320 (N.D. Illinois, 1991)
Ackerman v. Northwest Airlines, Inc.
848 F. Supp. 880 (D. Minnesota, 1994)
Robinson v. American Airlines, Inc.
722 F. Supp. 757 (District of Columbia, 1989)
United Airlines, Inc. v. Hart
506 U.S. 831 (Supreme Court, 1992)

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