Arrington v. City of Macon

986 F. Supp. 1474, 4 Wage & Hour Cas.2d (BNA) 348, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17382, 1997 WL 683663
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Arrington v. City of Macon. Read the opinion of the Court — 973 F. Supp. 1467
District Court, M.D. Georgia·Decided October 30, 1997·No. No. 91-CV-182-1 (WDO)·Published

Opinion

ORDER

OWENS, District Judge.

The court previously granted plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment upon determining that defendant City of Macon had violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA” or “Act”), 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq., by making certain impermissible deductions from the paychecks of employees exempt from overtime pay under 29 U.S.C. § 207(k) (Supp.1997), thereby destroying for the relevant period plaintiffs’ exempt status. The court held, however, that the City was entitled to preserve plaintiffs’ exempt status by using the “window of correction” provided by 29 C.F.R. § 541.118(a)(6) in order to reimburse any affected employees for impermissible deductions and also by expressly amending the City’s personnel policy to reflect that salaried employees are not subject to such deductions from pay.

Now before the court is the City’s motion for partial summary judgment on plaintiffs’ meal time and on-call claims. The City acknowledges that these issues need not be reached with respect to any plaintiff properly classified as exempt. Because it has been determined that all plaintiffs’ exempt status under the Act was destroyed when some of them were suspended for reasons other than violation of safety rules of major significance, plaintiffs’ on-call and meal time claims during the relevant period are properly considered.

I. Summary judgment standard

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c) provides that summary judgment may be entered in favor of the movant where there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See also Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247-48, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2509-10, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986); Irby v. Bittick, 44 F.3d 949, 953 (11th Cir.1995). Under the first element, the issue must be genuine, and the factual dispute must be material to the outcome of the litigation. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248, 106 S.Ct. at 2510. “Materiality” is determined by reference to the substantive law that controls the case. Id.; Mulhall v. Advance Security, Inc., 19 F.3d 586, 590 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 919, 115 S.Ct. 298, 130 L.Ed.2d 212 (1994). For a question of fact to be “genuine,” the party opposing summary judgment “ ‘must do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts,’ ” Irby, 44 F.3d at 953 (quoting Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586-87, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 1355-56, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986)) — the evidence must be of such a quality that “a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party____ If the evidence is merely colorable, or is not significantly probative, summary judgment may be granted.” Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248, 249-50, 106 S.Ct. at 2510, 2510-11. Only those doubts about facts that are reasonable must be resolved in favor of the nonmovant. Irby, 44 F.3d at 953 [1476]*1476(citing Browning v. Peyton, 918 F.2d 1516, 1520 (11th Cir.1990)).

The second element — that the movant be entitled to judgment as a matter of law — is satisfied where “the nonmoving party has failed to make a sufficient showing on an essential element of her case with respect to which she has the burden of proof.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). Once a party has moved for summary judgment and properly supported its motion, the burden shifts to the nonmovant to create, through the evidentiary forms listed in FED.R.CIV.P. 56(c), genuine issues of material fact necessitating a trial. Celotex Corp., 477 U.S. at 324, 106 S.Ct. at 2553.

II. Discussion

A. On-Call Status

Plaintiffs are thirty-nine police officers employed by the City of Macon who have been subject to being on call for various lengths of time. The City has defined on-call status as a scheduled period when an officer is not working but is available for duty if the need arises. Plaintiffs claim that on-call status is defined by Guideline 212 of the Mayor’s Personnel Administrative Guideline, which defines “Stand-By period” as “All time, after normal scheduled work hours and including holidays and weekend days, which falls within a one week calendar period of Sunday through Saturday.” A “Stand-By Status Employee” is “an employee who must be readily accessible at all times during the stand-by period.” Guideline 212’s applicability section provides that this stand-by and call-out pay policy applies to “All permanent full-time employees with the exception of Police Officers, Firefighters and Emergency Management personnel.” Therefore the definitions of Guideline 212 do not apply to plaintiffs, and the amount of time each of them is on call must be determined from the proof in the record.

Defendants state that an officer who is on an on-call or standby status must either carry a beeper or advise the radio control room of a phone number where he can be located. The officer is expected to respond to a call within thirty minutes but is otherwise free to do what he wants. If the officer on call cannot be reached, his supervisor will designate someone else to respond to the call or will respond to it himself. Plaintiffs claim that the restrictions as stated by the City are incomplete and that they are subject to additional restrictions which are placed on them either through written policies and guidelines or through verbal instructions by their superiors. They also claim that they are subject to some type of reprimand if they violate any restriction. Plaintiffs dispute the City’s assertion that no policy prohibits an officer from going home for a meal break, scheduling personal appointments or errands, or attending City Council meetings during meal breaks and note that Alvin Booker was disciplined for attending a City Council meeting during his meal break. They allege they are subject to the following restrictions during their on-call time.

(a) Must be readily accessible at all times during stand-by period;
(b) Must be available to be reached immediately either by telephone or pager or radio;
(c) Must remain constantly rested and alert during the stand-by period in the event the officer is called into service;
(d) Must notify all dispatchers of their movements and whereabouts at any time they leave their home;

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Arrington v. City of Macon, 986 F. Supp. 1474, 4 Wage & Hour Cas.2d (BNA) 348, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17382, 1997 WL 683663 (M.D. Ga. 1997).

986 F. Supp. 1474 (Arrington v. City of Macon) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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