Davis v. Jobs for Progress, Inc.

427 F. Supp. 479, 18 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 59, 1976 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12262, 14 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 7624
CourtDistrict Court, D. Arizona
DecidedNovember 16, 1976
DocketCiv. 74-626 Phx. WPC
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 427 F. Supp. 479 (Davis v. Jobs for Progress, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis v. Jobs for Progress, Inc., 427 F. Supp. 479, 18 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 59, 1976 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12262, 14 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 7624 (D. Ariz. 1976).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND ORDER

COPPLE, District Judge.

This cause came on for trial, and the Court, sitting without a jury, having heard the evidence and considered the exhibits, makes the following findings of facts and states the conclusions of law as follows:

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. The plaintiff is a female citizen of the United States.

2. The defendant is an Arizona corporation that operated a manpower education program under a subcontract with the City of Phoenix with funds provided by the United States Department of Labor.

3. At all times material, the defendant had more than fifteen employees in its employment for more than twenty or more calendar weeks for the years 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973.

4. The plaintiff was hired by the defendant on October 7, 1969, as an Instructor. At the time that she was hired she held a masters degree in Spanish, a minor in English and a minor in French. In addition she had 18 years of teaching experience in South America and Central America and the United States, including the State of Arizona.

5. At the time she was interviewed and hired she held a teaching certificate in the State of Arizona for both elementary and secondary education and certification was a prerequisite for hire. The evidence substantiates that there was proof of her teaching credentials presented at the time she was hired and also that copies of her credentials were in her personnel file.

6. DAVID SPANGLER was a male citizen of the United States. He was hired by the defendant as an Instructor on December 1, 1969. At the time he was hired he held a bachelors degree in education and was certified in secondary education in Arizona. He had less than one year’s teaching experience.

7. The defendant had hired, .prior to October 7, 1969, two other female Instructors, namely, VENITA POLECHEL and MARGE ASHCRAFT.

8. That on or about January 1, 1970, the staffing pattern of defendant’s organization was altered, whereby three new positions classified as Instructor II and three positions classified as Instructor I were created. The Instructor II classification was a higher paying position than Instructor I.

9. On or about the 5th day of January, 1960, the defendant promoted DAVID SPANGLER to fill the one slot of Instructor II.

10. On January 12, 1970, the plaintiff was selected for promotion to a second slot for Instructor II but her appointment was turned down on the alleged basis that she “had no teaching certificate in the file”. However the evidence clearly indicates that she could not have been initially hired had she not been so certified. In March of 1970, the two open slots for Instructor II were filled by MARGE ASHCRAFT and VENITA POLECHEL. Their selection for these slots was not based upon superior qualifica *482 tions or experience, but solely on the basis of their seniority over plaintiff. But all three female Instructors had seniority over DAVID SPANGLER.

11. The plaintiff was more qualified, both by education and experience, to fill the slot of Instructor II than the male Instructor, DAVID SPANGLER.

12. It is clear from the evidence that the male Instructor was not promoted on the basis of seniority, nor on the basis of superi- or education qualification or experience.

13. Under the terms of the regulations governing the defendant’s operations, all vacant positions, whether an initial hire or by promotion, were to be filled by and through competitive examinations. But it is clear that the defendant, in no instance involving any of the three slots for Instructor II, conducted any competitive interviews, gave any notice of their vacancies or otherwise allowed the females to compete for the slot filled by the male Instructor.

14. That although the plaintiff was not given the Instructor II slot and hence the higher pay, she continued to “underfill an Instructor II slot”, as well as perform the additional duties as Instructor I. However she was not paid the same wage rate as her male counterpart.

15. The job that the plaintiff was performing required equal or greater skill, effort, qualifications and responsibility under similar working conditions as that performed by the male Instructor. There were no bona fide occupational qualifications that would justify selection of the male Instructor over the plaintiff for the slot of Instructor II.

16. The plaintiff terminated her employment with the defendant on July 9, 1972. Although she resigned, the evidence reveals that she resigned because she was required to perform both the duties for Instructor ! and Instructor II without being paid equal pay, and that as a further result she suffered humiliation, depression and mental distress because of these circumstances and because the male Instructor was promoted over her.

17. That the plaintiff was discriminated against on the basis of sex.

18. The plaintiff did equal work without receiving equal pay.

19. The plaintiff would have qualified for merit increases as well as cost of living allowances on the same basis as the male Instructor. In addition her fringe benefits would have been equal to fifteen per cent of the amount which she would have earned.

20. Based upon the earnings of DAVID SPANGLER, had plaintiff held the position of Instructor II until the time she terminated on July 9, 1972, she would have earned $16,695.25; in the same period of time she earned $14,695.10, resulting in a loss of $2,000.10 in pay and benefits. She would have earned, as Instructor II, through December 31, 1973, the sum of $47,975.42. In that same period of time she earned $27,-506.10, resulting in a loss of $20,469.46 in pay and benefits.

21. That all jurisdictional requisites of this Court have been met.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

1. This Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 451, 1337, 1343; 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(f)(3); 29 U.S.C. § 206, and the XXIV Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America; further this Court has pendent jurisdiction over the Fourth Claim for Relief based upon the Arizona Revised Statutes § 23-355 as amended.

2. That the defendant was an “employer” as that term is defined in § 701(b) of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended in 1972, and is a “person” within the meaning of § 701(a) of Title VII and § 601, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

The defendant, in selecting DAVID SPANGLER to fill the slot of Instructor II, without requiring any competitive testing, and having the least seniority, and experience, and then requiring the female Instructors to compete on the basis of seniori *483 ty, is a violation of 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2 (a)(1) and (2), i.e., sex.

3.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
427 F. Supp. 479, 18 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 59, 1976 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12262, 14 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 7624, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-jobs-for-progress-inc-azd-1976.