Charles v. National Tea Co.

488 F. Supp. 270, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12530, 25 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1181
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Louisiana
DecidedMarch 20, 1980
DocketCiv. A. No. 761156
StatusPublished

This text of 488 F. Supp. 270 (Charles v. National Tea Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Charles v. National Tea Co., 488 F. Supp. 270, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12530, 25 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1181 (W.D. La. 1980).

Opinion

OPINION

SHAW, District Judge.

This matter involves a discrimination and civil rights action under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C.A. § 2000e, et seq., and under the Civil Rights Act of 1866, 42 U.S.C.A. § 1981.

[272]*272 General Background Facts

In 1963, and for some time prior thereto, the plaintiff, Ortley Charles, Jr., was employed as a service station attendant at Hebert’s Gulf Pride Service Station, directly across the street from the supermarket of the defendant, National Tea Company (National). In January, of 1963, the National store manager, Roland Alleman,. solicited the plaintiff to accept the job of porter at National, which the plaintiff accepted on January 7, 1963.

The plaintiff performed his duties satisfactorily for the first year and one-half and then the quality of his work fell off but not to any great extent. The plaintiff had an eighth grade education and while employed at National, he attended night school for two years and received his high school diploma in 1965. On September 20, 1966, plaintiff was hospitalized at the Central Hospital in Pineville, Louisiana, for a nervous breakdown and was released three months later. He returned to work as a porter shortly after his release but remained on medication until sometime in 1973. The record does not indicate that the plaintiff’s functional disorders were in any way related to the conduct of the defendants.

During plaintiff’s absence, his job was held open for him and he was paid his full wages. Upon his return, the manager, Alleman, kept him on although it is clear that plaintiff’s performance as a porter deteriorated. The District Manager of National, Chester Lantier, warned Alleman that he could lose his job due to the sloppy condition of the store. Yet, Alleman did not discharge the plaintiff, and on many occasions, performed some of the plaintiff’s duties himself or had these duties performed by others. Sometime between 1969, and 1973, plaintiff’s condition and his work improved. In the early part of 1974, plaintiff demanded a promotion to stock clerk, and was promoted to that position on February 4, 1974. Plaintiff immediately caught on and performed exceedingly well as a stock clerk. During his eleven years as a porter, plaintiff observed everything going on in the store, and moved into the stock clerk’s position with ease.

All non-management personnel at National are members of the retail clerk’s union. Various contracts have been in existence since 1963. The plaintiff has always been a member of this union, and was elected First Vice President and Shop Steward in 1974, and is also on the Audit Committee. In his capacity as Shop Steward, plaintiff was in charge of grievances with management at the Opelousas store. Since that time, there has been a war between plaintiff and management almost without interruption. If National put it to the plaintiff in the 60’s, the plaintiff put it to National in the 70’s.

On July 14,1975, Alleman fired the plaintiff after they were involved in a heated argument in the meat department over the plaintiff’s use of the telephone. As a result of this incident, Alleman was transferred and plaintiff was reinstated with back pay at his former position at National, on September 2, 1975.

Later, the plaintiff demanded and received the position of back door clerk which involved extra pay and was the highest non-management position in the store. It is apparent from the testimony that the plaintiff could obtain the position of co-manager but is reluctant to seek or accept it because he fears he would no longer have the protection of union membership, and that National would then fire him.

In the meantime, plaintiff comes to work late whenever he so desires, switches hours with individuals without informing management, uses his position with the union to harass management and other employees, and “hogs” the overtime employment.

A formal written charge of discrimination was filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) by plaintiff against National, its manager, Alleman, the District Manager, Chester Lantier, and others, dated August 13, 1975.

Plaintiff, through his attorney, requested from the EEOC a notice of right to sue by letter, dated July 13, 1976, and said notice [273]*273was executed by the New Orleans District Office of the EEOC dated August 2, 1976, and suit was filed by the plaintiff on October 28, 1976, charging a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or Civil Rights Act of 1971, and employment discrimination under 42 U.S.C. § 1981.

After the plaintiff was reinstated, he claims that he had problems around November of 1975, with the new store manager, Alex DeNais, who had replaced Alleman. At that time, Sunday work was allocated on a seniority basis. This was changed to a rotation basis after the plaintiff filed a complaint. The plaintiff also complained to DeNais around the First of November, 1975, that he was called on to do more than his share of cleanup work. Thereafter, De-Nais was careful not to assign plaintiff more than his share of cleanup work.

Plaintiff, in his charge of discrimination with the EEOC, dated August 13, 1975, claims that the discrimination began about two years after he came to work when he asked Alleman to promote him to stock clerk in 1965, and Alleman refused. Plaintiff contends that he continued as a porter for another eight years, at which time, he got the backing of the union, demanded a promotion to stock clerk and was appointed on February 4, 1974. Plaintiff also claims that after he was elected Union Shop Steward in the early part of 1975, Alleman started putting pressure on him, threatening to fire him and started “writing him up” for any little thing that happened. The plaintiff contended that all of this ended up with Alleman firing him because he was black and resented plaintiff demanding a promotion and being Shop Steward. Plaintiff claims injunctive relief to enjoin National or its agents from maintaining or practicing any policies which discriminate against plaintiff, damages for loss of salary, retirement benefits, unemployment benefits, fringe benefits, mental anguish, emotional distress, physical pain and attorney’s fees.

Findings of Fact

1. The plaintiff, Ortley Charles, Jr., is a resident of Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana.

2. National Tea Company is a foreign corporation, doing business interstate, and is licensed to do and doing business in the State of Louisiana; Roland Alleman is a resident of Lafayette, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana; Donald S. Fontenot is a resident of Eunice, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, and Chester Lantier is a resident of Lafayette, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.

3. This Court has subject matter jurisdiction under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C.A. § 2000e et seq., and under the Civil Rights of Act of 1866, 42 U.S.C.A. § 1981.

4. The plaintiff was competent after 1965, when he received his high school diploma to handle the position of stock clerk at National.

5. National had no policy or guidelines whatsoever for promotions within the company from full-time porter, the lowest job in the store, to the next level of stock clerk.

6.

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Bluebook (online)
488 F. Supp. 270, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12530, 25 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1181, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/charles-v-national-tea-co-lawd-1980.