Cummins v. Carteret Broadcasting Co.

137 F. Supp. 547, 1956 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3909
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. North Carolina
DecidedJanuary 27, 1956
DocketCiv. No. 362
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 137 F. Supp. 547 (Cummins v. Carteret Broadcasting Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cummins v. Carteret Broadcasting Co., 137 F. Supp. 547, 1956 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3909 (E.D.N.C. 1956).

Opinion

GILLIAM, District Judge.

The plaintiff and Walder Niemi instituted a joint action under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, 29 U.S.C.A. § 201 et seq., for recovery of unpaid minimum wages, liquidated damages, and attorneys’ fees, as provided in the Act. The hearing was without a jury, and prior to call of the case Walder Niemi took a voluntary dismissal. The claim of plaintiff Cummins, as set forth in the complaint, covered the period from the week ending November 5, 1949, through the week ending June 19, 1952, but at the hearing plaintiff, through counsel, conceded that all items prior to July 7 or the week ending July 15, 1950, are barred by the two-year statute of limitations. While in its answer defendant denied it was subject to the Act, at the hearing and in its brief filed it was admitted that it is subject thereto; and in its brief counsel sets forth that the only questions involved are: 1. Was he (Cummins) employed in a bona fide executive, administrative or professional capacity so as to exempt him from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act; and 2. If he was not exempt, what amount of overtime work did he perform.

Plaintiff began work for defendant as engineer in January, 1947; he was the only engineer during the period when the equipment was installed and the station set up; prior to the start of broadcasting a second engineer was employed; but from May, 1948 to September, 1950, plaintiff had no assistant or associate; [549]*549however, from September, 1950, through June 19, 1952, plaintiff served as Chief Engineer and Walder Niemi as his assistant.

During the entire period involved, plaintiff was paid a weekly salary of $85, and in addition received varying amounts as talent fees, which are fees paid to the particular announcer who “puts on” the program. These fees were paid by advertising sponsors to plaintiff through defendant. Plaintiff was responsible for the technical operation of the equipment, made repairs, made required F.C.C. checks, acted as Program Director, and, though not employed to do so, was permitted to engage in sports announcing; he did other announcing, ran musical programs, acted as disc jockey, put news in the machine, edited news, read it on the air, assisted in putting on programs, set up meetings and clubs, attended baseball meetings as sports announcer for the station, and performed other services outside his duties as Chief Engineer and not ordinarily performed by an engineer. Such outside services occupied him for more than half the time when he was actually on duty. He was a “combination man” such as may be found at most radio stations. There were no employees under his control and he had no right to either hire or fire. Plaintiff owned 5y2 percent of the outstanding stock of the defendant corporation. The corporation was set up by the Wage and Hour Commission on a forty-eight hour work week and continued on such basis during the entire period with which we are dealing.

The defendant insists that the plaintiff was an exempt employee under the provisions of Sec. 213, Title 29, which, insofar as pertinent, is as follows:

“(a) The provisions of sections 206 and 207 * * * shall not apply with respect to (1) any employee employed in a bona fide executive, administrative, professional * * * capacity *

The Administrator of the Wage and Hour Law, to whom is delegated the duty of defining the terms of the Act, had adopted and promulgated the following interpretations of the meaning of the words “employee employed in a bona fide executive, administrative, professional * * * capacity.”

' 29 U.S.C.A. Appendix, § 541.1: “The term ‘employee employed in a bona fide executive * * * capacity’ * * * shall mean any employee:

“(a) Whose primary duty consists of the management of the enterprise in which he is employed or of a customarily recognized department or subdivision thereof; and
“(b) Who customarily and regularly directs the work of two or more other employees therein; and
“(c) Who has the authority to hire or fire other employees, or whose suggestions and recommendations as to the hiring or firing and as to the advancement and promotion or any other change of status of other employees will be given particular weight; and
“(d) Who customarily and regularly exercises discretionary powers; and
“(e) Who does not devote more than 20 percent of his hours worked in the workweek to activities which are not directly and closely related to the performance of the work described in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this section * * *; and
(f) Who is compensated for his services on a salary basis at a rate of not less than $55 per week * *

§ 541.2 “The term ‘employee employed in a bona fide * * * administrative * * * capacity’ * * * shall mean any employee:

“(a) Whose primary duty consists of the performance of office or non-manual field work directly related to management policies or general business operations of his employer or his employer’s customers; and
“(b) Who customarily and regularly exercises discretion and independent judgment; and
“(c) (1) Who regularly and directly assists a proprietor, or an employee employed in a bona fide executive or admin[550]*550istrative capacity * * * or (2) who perforins under only general supervision work along specialized or technical lines requiring special training, experience or knowledge, or (3) who executes under only general supervision special assignments and tasks; and
“(d) Who does not devote more than 20 percent of his hours worked in the workweek to activities which are not directly and closely related to the performance of the work described in paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section; and
“(e) Who is compensated for his services on a salary or fee basis at a rate of not less than $75 per week * * *.”

§ 541.3 “The term ‘employee employed in a bona fide * * * professional * * * capacity’ * * * shall mean any employee:

“(a) Whose primary duty consists of the performance of work:
“(1) Requiring knowledge of an advanced type in a field of science or learning * * * or
“(2) Original and creative in character in a recognized field of artistic endeavor * * * and
“(b) Whose work requires the consistent exercise of discretion and judgment in its performance; and
“(c) Whose work is predominantly intellectual and varied in character * * and
“(d) Who does not devote more than 20 percent of his hours worked in the workweek to activities which are not an essential part of and necessarily incident to the work described in paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section; and
“(e) Who is compensated for his services on a salary or fee basis at a rate of not less than $75 per week * *

These interpretations under the decisions have the force and effect of law.

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Related

Hammonds v. J. W. Broom & Sons
195 F. Supp. 504 (W.D. North Carolina, 1961)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
137 F. Supp. 547, 1956 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3909, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cummins-v-carteret-broadcasting-co-nced-1956.