Chapman v. Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co.

456 F. Supp. 65, 23 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1058, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17733
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedMay 16, 1978
DocketC-74-2282 WWS
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 456 F. Supp. 65 (Chapman v. Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chapman v. Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co., 456 F. Supp. 65, 23 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1058, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17733 (N.D. Cal. 1978).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

SCHWARZER, District Judge.

This action was brought by eight women and one black male individually against The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company (“Pacific”). 1 All plaintiffs charge Pacific with violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. The female plaintiffs also charge Pacific with violation of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, 29 U.S.C. § 206(d) and the black male plaintiff charges a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, 42 U.S.C. § 1981. Plaintiffs allege that Pacific discriminated against women and blacks by hiring them into a segregated line of progression, denying them opportunities for transfer or promotion out of the segregated line, and paying them less than white males for substantially equal work. Pacific has denied any discrimination. This Court has jurisdiction over the action under 28 U.S.C. § 1343.

The issues of liability and relief were bifurcated for trial, and the liability issues have been fully tried to the Court. This memorandum opinion will constitute findings of fact and conclusions of law on those issues for purposes of Rule 52(a), F.R.Civ.P.

I. Facts

Pacific’s Directory Department is responsible for the compilation and publication of Pacific’s telephone directories. The Directory Department is divided into various divisions.

The sales division of the Directory Department is responsible for the sale of classified listings and advertisements in the so-called Yellow Pages of telephone directories. Historically, the sales division has been divided into three distinct selling groups: (a) telephone sales, (b) premise sales, and (c) National Yellow Pages Sales (“NYPS”). This litigation involves only the telephone and premise sales groups; plaintiffs have made no claim with respect to the NYPS group.

A. Telephone Sales

The telephone sales group solicits sales and deals with customers by telephone from the Directory Department offices, except in rare cases when a customer visits the office. The telephone sales group is assigned that portion of the directory market which Pacific has determined can be most efficiently and profitably handled through telephone contact. Generally this consists of the smaller, relatively routine classes of accounts which tend to purchase fewer, smaller and simpler directory advertisements. For example, “Physicians and Surgeons” and “Attorneys” listings are assigned to the telephone group. 2

Telephone sales are handled by telephone sales representatives (“TSRs”), a non-management position. The TSRs are given lists of customers whom they contact by telephone, working out of a single room at Pacific’s Directory Department offices in San Francisco. The TSRs are organized into eight to twelve member crews each of which is supervised by a telephone sales supervisor (“TSS”), a first level management position.

TSSs work in the same room as the TSRs. They are in visual contact with their crews throughout the day, monitor some of their *68 telephone contacts, and provide continuous trouble shooting, assistance and instruction. As first level managers, TSSs are subject to rotation out of the TSS position into various other first level management positions.

All of the plaintiffs in this action were at one time TSRs and later promoted to the TSS position which they held at the time their respective charges of discrimination were filed. They complain about the terms of their employment while in the TSS position. There are no charges of discriminatory treatment while they were rotated into other first level management positions.

B. Premise Sales

The premise sales group generally solicits sales and contacts customers at their places of business, i. e., their premises. Classes of accounts which have historically purchased more and larger directory advertisements are screened to the premise group. Pacific has determined that these types of accounts are more effectively serviced by personal contact for a variety of reasons, including design of the ad, opportunity to sell more advertising, and checking accuracy of relatively more complex ads. 3

Premise sales are handled by advertising sales representatives (ASRs), a non-management position. The ASRs generally work out of field offices, set up from time to time in various localities for which a classified directory is then being compiled. Using the field office as their base, they contact their assigned customers in that locality. While working on directories for localities near an ASR’s home, he or she may return home every evening. Much of the time, however, ASRs work out of field offices distant from their homes and may return home only on weekends.

The ASRs are supervised by advertising sales managers-premise (“premise managers” or “PMs”) who are at the second level of management. Occasionally PMs accompany their ASRs on customer calls, or pursue local contacts themselves. More often, they perform their supervisory functions out of the various field offices. PMs, like the ASRs they supervise, are required to be away from home when working on directories for distant localities.

II. The Equal Pay Claims

The female plaintiffs claim that while employed in the position of TSS they performed work substantially equal to that performed by male PMs and were denied the higher compensation received by PMs in violation of the Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C. § 206(d)(1) 4 and Title VII, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e. Plaintiff Grundy, a black male, brings a similar charge under Title VII and § 1981 asserting that he was denied equal pay because of his race. 5

To establish a prima facie ease of wage discrimination, plaintiffs must prove that Pacific paid members of protected groups less than males (or whites) earned for per *69 forming substantially equal work measured in terms of skill, effort, and responsibility. Corning Glass Works v. Brennan, 417 U.S. 188, 94 S.Ct. 2223, 41 L.Ed.2d 1 (1974); Schultz v. Wheaton Glass, 421 F.2d 259 (3rd Cir. 1970), cert. den., 398 U.S. 905, 90 S.Ct. 1696, 26 L.Ed.2d 64 (1970).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
456 F. Supp. 65, 23 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1058, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17733, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chapman-v-pacific-telephone-telegraph-co-cand-1978.