CAMPO v. MID-ATLANTIC PACKAGING SPECIALTIES, LLC

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedSeptember 29, 2021
Docket2:20-cv-01460
StatusUnknown

This text of CAMPO v. MID-ATLANTIC PACKAGING SPECIALTIES, LLC (CAMPO v. MID-ATLANTIC PACKAGING SPECIALTIES, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
CAMPO v. MID-ATLANTIC PACKAGING SPECIALTIES, LLC, (E.D. Pa. 2021).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA

EVARISTO CAMPO, CIVIL ACTION

Plaintiff, NO. 20-1460-KSM v.

MID-ATLANTIC PACKAGING SPECIALTIES, LLC d/b/a MID-ATLANTIC PACKAGING,

Defendant.

MEMORANDUM

Marston, J. September 29, 2021

Plaintiff Evaristo Campo has sued his former employer, Defendant Mid-Atlantic Packaging Specialties, LLC d/b/a Mid-Atlantic Packaging (“MAP”), alleging that MAP discriminated against him because he had diabetes and needed to take breaks to maintain his blood sugar levels. (Doc. No. 27.) Campo—who was fired for violating company policy, including failure to inform his supervisor before taking a break—seeks relief under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (“PHRA”) and asserts claims for disability discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, and failure to reasonably accommodate. (Id.) MAP has filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that Campo’s disability discrimination and retaliation claims must be dismissed because Campo cannot show that he was terminated because of his disability and has not established pretext; that the failure to accommodate claim fails because MAP reasonably accommodated Campo’s disability by allowing him to take breaks as long as he asked for permission first; and that dismissal of the hostile work environment claim is warranted because the alleged harassment did not relate to Campo’s disability and was not sufficiently severe or pervasive. (Doc. Nos. 21-1, 23.) Campo opposed the motion. (Doc. Nos. 22, 24.) The Court held oral argument on September 8, 2021. For the reasons that follow, the Court grants summary judgment in favor of MAP on Campo’s wrongful termination and hostile work environment claims. Otherwise, MAP’s motion

is denied. I. Factual Background Taking the facts in the light most favorable to Plaintiff, the relevant facts are as follows. A. Campo’s Work at MAP MAP produces corrugated cardboard, and its Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania facility includes a Display Plant and a Main Plant, the latter of which houses its corrugator. (Doc. No. 21-2 at ¶¶ 3–5; Doc. No. 22-1 at p. 24 ¶¶ 3–5.) A corrugator is a large machine—about the size of a football field—made up of a series of a smaller machines (see Doc. No. 21-2 at ¶ 6; Doc. No. 22-1 at p. 24 ¶ 6; see also Doc. No. 22-1 at p. 3 ¶ 15; Doc. No. 23-2 ¶ 15), and is meant to be

constantly running (see, e.g., Doc. No. 22-2, Ex. D, Hodges Dep. at 50:13–17, 52:20–24). It combines two different kinds of paper to manufacture cut sheets of corrugated fiberboard. (Id.; see also Doc. No. 22-2, Ex. C, Hinkle Dep. at 15:2–3 (“Corrugator makes flat sheets of paper that are then transformed into a box.”).) Campo began working for MAP in 1988. (Doc. No. 21-2 at ¶¶ 1, 4; Doc. No. 22-1 at p. 24 ¶¶ 1, 4.) During his 32-year tenure at the company, Campo was a member of the United Steelworkers, Local 8286 (the “Union”) and worked as a Material Handler at the corrugator at the Main Plant. (Doc. No. 22-1 at p. 1 ¶ 1 & p. 29 ¶ 44; Doc. No. 23-2 at ¶¶ 1, 44.) In that capacity, Campo was responsible for driving the forklift and operating a smart cart, meaning that he was responsible for unloading stock from the corrugator and moving it to trailers or the production line. (Hodges Dep. at 28:9–14, 55:3–12; see also Doc. No. 21-2 at ¶¶ 33–34, 38–39; Doc. No. 22-1 at p. 28 ¶¶ 33–34, 38–39; Doc. No. 22-2, Ex. A, Campo Dep. at 25:19–26:1.) Campo worked the first shift, which typically ran from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Doc. No. 21-2 at ¶¶ 33, 36; Doc. No. 22-1 at p. 28 ¶¶ 33, 36; see also Doc. No. 22-1 at p. 3 ¶ 19; Doc. No. 23-2 at

¶ 19.) Under the Union’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (the “CBA”), Campo was entitled to two 10-minute breaks plus a 15-minute break for lunch during his shift. (Doc. No. 21-5, Ex. J at p. 87.)1 B. MAP Is Acquired In November 2018, MAP was acquired by the Royal Group/Schwartz Partners. (Doc. No. 22-1 at p. 5 ¶ 31; Doc. No. 23-2 at ¶ 31.) A few months after the acquisition, in February 2019, MAP began producing food packaging and enacted Hygiene Requirements to become food safety compliant and avoid contamination of the packaging. (See Doc. No. 21-5, Ex. G; see also Hodges Dep. at 11:3–16, 12:5–7.) The rules prohibited employees from bringing food or non-

water drinks outside of the breakroom, into the manufacturing and warehouse areas; rather, employees were only permitted to bring water into those areas “in a clear, colorless, plastic container with a closeable lid.” (Doc. No. 21-5, Ex. G at p. 2.) Pursuant to the rules, employees were not allowed to wear jewelry or bring personal effects onto the floor. (Id.) These rules existed in addition to the company’s longstanding Plant Rules and Guidelines. (See Doc. No. 21- 5, Ex. H.) The Plant Rules outlined examples of “prohibited conduct and behavior,” including “failing to observe safety rules, procedures and policies,” “failing to properly observe working

1 The CBA also provides for a progressive disciplinary policy, which means that a Union employee receives a verbal warning, written warning, suspension, and then termination. (Doc. No. 22-3, Ex. E, Jones Dep. at 15:18–16:22.) hours . . . [and] leaving the job without notification,” and “refus[ing] to follow the safe and lawful directions of Company management.” (Id. at p. 5.) Further, MAP’s Employee Handbook delineated proscribed conduct; it described the company’s progressive discipline policy and behavior that could lead to disciplinary action, including “insubordination, chronic lack of cooperation, and poor attitude,” “disregard of

housekeeping and safety rules,” and “violation of Company policy or work rules.” (Doc. No. 21- 5, Ex. I at pp. 66–67; see also id. p. 52 (“The Company may implement work rules at its discretion pertaining, but not limited to, safety, dress and job performance. Employees are expected to comply with all work rules implemented by the Company; failure to do so may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.”).) After the acquisition, in late January 2019, the Display Plant Superintendent, Marvin Hinkle, was transferred to the position of Corrugator Superintendent. (Doc. No. 21-2 at ¶ 27; Doc. No. 22-1 at p. 28 ¶ 27.) In that role, Hinkle was responsible for corrugator production and supervised the employees who worked on the corrugator. (See Doc. No. 22-2, Hinkle Dep. at

14:14–23 (“I make sure everybody shows up. I make sure everybody is doing their job. I make sure everybody is where they’re supposed to be. I make sure everybody is following the rules, safety rules . . . I make sure the machine runs the way it’s supposed to, we’re making the correct product, we’re making good product and the guys are doing it safely basically.”); Hodges Dep. at 101:1–12 (“[Hinkle’s] responsible for the first shift corrugator production, and ultimately the second shift corrugator production, not so much in their output, but in reviewing what their data looks like, was it recorded correctly, how are they performing. The day-to-day first shift operations, he’s involved directly in everything from the mechanical issues to the run speeds, safety on the machine, you know, is everybody compliant.”).) As Corrugator Superintendent, Hinkle also began conducting weekly safety meetings. (Doc. No. 21-2 at ¶ 29; Doc. No. 22-1 at p. 28 ¶ 29.) Attendance at these meetings was mandatory. (Doc. No. 21-2 at ¶ 30; Doc. No. 22- 1 at p. 28 ¶ 30.) Although the topics often changed week-to-week, some topics—such as the importance of wearing personal protective equipment, glasses, safety shoes, and not donning any jewelry—were discussed at every meeting, given their importance. (Doc. No. 21-2 at ¶¶ 31–32;

Doc. No. 22-1 at p. 28 ¶¶ 31–32.) C.

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CAMPO v. MID-ATLANTIC PACKAGING SPECIALTIES, LLC, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/campo-v-mid-atlantic-packaging-specialties-llc-paed-2021.